Telegram Founder Alleges French Role in Moldova Vote Censorship

Telegram founder Pavel Durov has accused the French intelligence reporting agency of previously censoring his legal issues to opposition voices in the last year in Moldova’s presidential election, pointing to wider actions by the government on digital privacy.

In a Sunday statement posted on telegram and xDurov said the French intelligence agency had contacted him through an intermediary while being detailed in Paris about a year ago, demanding that certain telegram channels be removed prior to the 2024 Moldova presidential election.

Durov said that after Telegram removed the channel that violated the rules, the intermediary informed him that the French intelligence agency would be dealing favorably with the judge overseeing his August Arrest If he cooperates.

His allegations are as a pro-European Party and Solidarity Party in Moldova, supported by President Maia Sandhu. Lead of the command Over 50% of the votes were counted as of Sunday amid new elections deciding the future of the Parliament.

Both elections are characterized by claims of Russian interference, with Sandhu warning on Sunday that Russia “intervened on a massive scale” in the democratic process. Al Jazeera Report.

Meanwhile, Russian opposition leader Igor Dodon has it I was asked Protest outside of Congress and report plans to override the vote.

In his post on Sunday, Durov further alleged that the authorities later provided a list of second channels that “doesn’t fully comply with our rules” last year, the only commonality that “doesn’t fully comply with our rules” that had expressed “political positions disliked by the French and Moldovan governments.”

“We refused to act on this request,” he said. “Telegram is committed to free speech and will not delete content for political reasons.”

He argued that authorities were exploiting his legal situation to influence political developments in Eastern Europe.

Even Alex Chandra, a partner at the Ingos Law Alliance, said Decryption The platform should clearly separate violations of its own standards from politically sensitive but compliant content.

“Rule-based governance cannot be negotiated,” Chandra said. “A platform that clearly separates violations of your standards from politically sensitive but compliant content can remain reliable in front of regulators, investors and users.”

“Legal exposure is becoming leverage,” he added. “As we see in the case of telegrams, state officials can use executive judicial vulnerabilities to extract concessions.”

The battle for privacy

Doloff’s allegations resonate with the ongoing battle in the code that marks the government’s privacy tools.

Recent beliefs of tornado cash developer Roman Storm Operates unauthorized money transmitter And the pleading for committing sin Founder of Samourai Wallet It refers to a pattern of pressure on a platform focused on privacy.

“Both communications platforms and cryptographic networks face parallel tactics of state interference,” Chandra said. “Multinarians should expect that once a regulatory playbook proves effective in one vertical, it could be replicated between other companies.”

Mohith Agadi, founder of Fact Protocol, said Decryption The situation reflects “a wider tension between national interests and digital freedom.”

“When these two priorities collide, especially in moments of political sensitivity, there are challenges,” Agadi said. “What we need is greater transparency, clear standards and independent monitoring mechanisms.”

France’s Europe and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs responded to Doloff’s claims. Retweet A post in which the Telegram founder says, “I like to indict them while the election is underway.”

After his arrest, Doloff is under French judicial supervision and must be reported to the authorities every 14 days.”No appeal date is visible. ”

Toncoin, an open network closely related to telegrams, tank Shortly after his detention. The token is currently trading at $2.71, down 67% from its all-time high of $8.25. Coingecko.