Telegram founder and CEO Pavel Durov was arrested today at Le Bourget airport near Paris after returning from Azerbaijan. French media reported that Durov was detained after disembarking from a private jet. The arrest is in connection with an investigation into Telegram's alleged failure to moderate content, which authorities claim allowed criminal activity to flourish on the platform.
Elon Musk, American tech mogul and owner of X (formerly Twitter), was quick to respond to the news on his social media platforms. Musk posted a Grok message from X's official account, sarcastically captioning it, “Check out this ad about the First Amendment. Very persuasive.” The post detailed Durov's arrest and highlighted the ongoing investigation into Telegram's moderation practices.
Musk didn't stop there. He reshared the post from the account OSINTdefender and added his own caption: “Perspective: Europe in 2030, you can be executed for liking a meme.” The comment underscores Musk's concerns about the future of free speech in Europe, suggesting a dystopian scenario in which even the most innocuous online activity could lead to severe consequences.
Durov, a dual French and United Arab Emirates citizen who now lives in Dubai, is the 39-year-old entrepreneur who fled Russia in 2014 after rejecting censorship of dissidents on his VKontakte platform, and has consistently positioned Telegram as a defender of privacy and free speech.
Musk's comments have reignited debate over the balance between free speech and content moderation, and drawn attention to what he sees as growing threats to individual freedoms in Europe.
