Durov Defies EU: Telegram Won’t Play Censor for Election Content
Telegram CEO Pavel Durov just gave Brussels a masterclass in digital defiance—refusing EU pressure to police election-related content on the platform. No bureaucratic footnotes, no ’we’ll form a committee.’ Just a hard ’no.’
Free speech absolutism meets regulatory overreach—while legacy social platforms fold like cheap suits. Meanwhile, EU commissioners probably just added ’blockchain’ to their next funding proposal to sound relevant.
) approached Telegram asking us to silence conservative voices in Romania ahead of today’s presidential elections. I flatly refused. Telegram will not restrict the freedoms of Romanian users or block their political channels.
— Pavel Durov (@durov) May 18, 2025
Durov further emphasized that one cannot “defend democracy” by destroying democracy. “You can’t “fight election interference” by interfering with elections. You either have freedom of speech and fair elections — or you don’t. And the Romanian people deserve both,” he added.
In a subsequent X post, Durov revealed that Nicholas Lerner, head of French intelligence, requested that he ban “conservative voices” in Romania ahead of the elections, a demand Durov firmly declined. “We didn’t block protesters in Russia, Belarus, or Iran. We won’t start doing it in Europe,” the Telegram founder wrote.
This spring at the Salon des Batailles in the Hôtel de Crillon, Nicolas Lerner, head of French intelligence, asked me to ban conservative voices in Romania ahead of elections. I refused. We didn’t block protesters in Russia, Belarus, or Iran. We won’t start doing it in Europe.
— Pavel Durov (@durov) May 18, 2025Telegram and Past Clashes with French Authorities
Durov’s latest dispute with French authorities marks a continuation of past tensions, as he has previously found himself at odds with the government over issues of platform regulation and speech moderation.
In August 2024, Durov was detained at Le Bourget Airport in Paris, a development that reverberated across the tech and crypto sectors.
Durov, long known for his resistance to authoritarian demands—including his refusal to comply with Russian government requests to censor dissenting voices—faced serious allegations from French authorities during the arrest.
Officials claimed that Telegram had been used to “support terrorist activities” and facilitate “pedophilia,” prompting widespread concern and scrutiny.
Shortly after Durov’s arrest, Rumble CEO Chris Pavlovski left Europe, alleging that French authorities had issued threats against the video-sharing platform, which is known for its emphasis on free speech and limited content moderation.
Additionally, Pavlovski condemned the French government’s role in Durov’s arrest, describing it as a coercive effort to pressure the Telegram founder into censoring content on the platform.
As debates over digital rights and state oversight intensify across Europe, Durov’s standoff emphasizes the growing friction between tech platforms advocating free expression and governments seeking greater control.
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Michaela has no crypto positions and does not hold any crypto assets. This article is provided for informational purposes only and should not be construed as financial advice. The Shib Magazine and The Shib Daily are the official media and publications of the Shiba Inu cryptocurrency project. Readers are encouraged to conduct their own research and consult with a qualified financial adviser before making any investment decisions.
