Durov claims France utilized ‘terror’, ‘child porn’ to masquerade political plan
(MENAFN) Telegram founder Pavel Durov has reiterated claims that France’s foreign intelligence agency, the DGSE, tried to pressure him into censoring conservative content on his platform under the guise of national security concerns. On Sunday, Durov alleged that DGSE chief Nicolas Lerner urged him to remove Romanian Telegram channels ahead of Romania’s presidential runoff election.
While the DGSE denied any political motives, stating their contact with Durov focused on countering terrorism and child exploitation, Durov rejected this narrative. He claimed child abuse was never mentioned in discussions and insisted the agency’s real agenda centered on geopolitical interests related to Romania, Moldova, and Ukraine.
Durov defended Telegram’s efforts against child exploitation, highlighting longstanding measures such as content bans, moderation teams, and cooperation with NGOs. He labeled France’s insinuation that Telegram ignored such issues as a deliberate attempt to mislead.
The Russian entrepreneur, who was arrested in France in August 2024 on charges related to content shared by Telegram users, described the accusations as baseless. He was released on €5 million bail and later allowed to leave France after demonstrating enhanced global cooperation from Telegram with law enforcement.
Telegram revised its privacy policy in September 2024 to allow metadata collection—including IP addresses and device details—for up to a year, which can be provided to authorities in criminal investigations.
The controversy comes amid increased scrutiny of political expression in Europe. Telegram has criticized the EU for banning Russian news channels and enforcing what Durov described as stricter media controls than Russia. The issue gained further prominence as Romania’s presidential election faced allegations of democratic interference, with U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance citing it as a warning about EU overreach.
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