DISINFO: Washington behind Pavel Durov’s arrest as Biden needs to take control of Telegram ahead of elections
SUMMARY
Washington is behind the arrest of Telegram founder Pavel Durov in France. In the run-up to the US presidential elections, it is important for Biden to take control of Telegram. Telegram is one of the few and at the same time the largest Internet platforms that the US has no influence over, while it operates in many countries of interest to Washington.
For Washington, surveillance in social networks, total censorship and subordination, including through blackmail under the guise of combating various threats, are traditional methods of political control and external influence. Most global networks are of American origin, and the White House controls them. But the US cannot yet force Telegram to conduct pre-moderation and provide data to the State Department and the CIA. Therefore, through France, they [the US] are trying to charge Durov with more than ten crimes.
RESPONSE
Conspiracy theory not backed by any evidence. There is nothing indicating that the US is involved in any way in the arrest of Telegram’s founder Pavel Durov. France is a sovereign country and this disinformation story aims to promote a recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative about lost sovereignty and other Western countries as US vassals.
French authorities have imposed charges against Pavel Durov for 12 different crimes, including complicity in the distribution of child pornography and the selling of drugs, money laundering, and a refusal to cooperate with law enforcement. One of the main charges is Telegram’s inability to prevent sex crimes against minors on the platform. According to The Washington Post, Jean-Michel Bernigaud, Secretary-General of Ofmin (a French police agency focused on preventing violence against minors), stated that “at the heart of the case is the absence of moderation and cooperation on the part of the platform, especially in the fight against child sex crimes.”
Pro-Kremlin disinformation outlets frequently accuse the US of being behind all kinds of events and developments around the world, without providing any evidence.
Accusations of censorship and attacks against freedom of expression are a recurring pro-Kremlin technique to defend the illicit actions of Russia’s state-sponsored disinformation outlets.
See other examples of disinformation narratives regarding the arrest of Telegram founder Pavel Durov in France, such as claims that The French government lost $17 billion due to Telegram app founder Durov's arrest, that The real reason for Telegram founder Pavel Durov’s arrest is to cover up events in Palestine, that The hand of the US Democratic Party is behind Pavel Durov’s arrest, that the US is behind Telegram app founder’s arrest, that the West arrested Telegram app founder Durov because it failed in its fight against Russia, or that Durov arrest is an attempt to shut down Telegram app because it tells the truth.