Edward Snowden, Elon Musk and other tech leaders condemn arrest of Telegram founder Pavel Durov
The arrest of Telegram founder Pavel Durov has drawn criticism from former NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden, who described it as a “assault on basic human rights of speech and association.” Last year, Snowden, who became a citizen of Russia, shared his opinions on X, a platform that was formerly Twitter. He claimed that the arrest damaged France’s standing internationally.
“The fundamental human rights to free speech and association have been violated by @durov’s arrest. The fact that (French President Emmanuel) Macron has gone to the length of kidnapping people in order to obtain access to private communications astounds and saddens me greatly. . This degrades not just France, but the world,” Snowden posted.
Durov, 39, was detained after his private jet landed at France’s Le Bourget airport. The arrest, which is based on a warrant, relates to crimes allegedly linked to Telegram, a popular messaging app known for its end-to-end encryption. Durov, who founded Telegram in 2013, left Russia in 2014 after protesting government pressure to shut down opposition groups on his VKontakte social media platform. He now lives in Dubai and holds dual citizenship in France and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
Balaji Srinivasan, an American entrepreneur, criticized the arrest as well, claiming that the French government’s actions were more about control than deterring crime. He emphasized how unrealistic it is to expect Durov to handle crime among Telegram’s enormous user base when the French government is already dealing with internal crime.
“Control is what matters to the French, not crime. Is Macron held accountable for each and every crime committed in France? No. Why then is Durov supposed to oversee each and every Telegram action? Twitter was used by Srinivasan.
Other prominent figures in the tech industry also gave their opinions on the situation. Tesla CEO Elon Musk tweeted, “It’s 2030 in Europe and you’re getting killed for liking a meme,” indicating concerns over rising censorship.
