Pavel Durov, the founder and CEO of Telegram, was arrested today at Le Bourget Airport near Paris, following his return from Azerbaijan. French media reported that Durov was detained after exiting his private jet, with the arrest linked to an investigation into Telegram’s alleged failure to moderate content, which authorities claim has allowed criminal activities to thrive on the platform.
Elon Musk, the American tech mogul and owner of X (formerly Twitter), quickly reacted to the news on his social media platform. Musk posted a Grok message from his official X account, sarcastically captioning it, “Check out this ad for the First Amendment. It is very convincing.” The post detailed Durov’s arrest, highlighting the ongoing investigation into Telegram’s moderation practices.
Musk didn’t stop there. He followed up by resharing a post from the account OSINTdefender, adding his own caption: “POV: It’s 2030 in Europe and you’re being executed for liking a meme.”
This comment underscored Musk’s concerns about the future of free speech in Europe, hinting at a dystopian scenario where even the most innocuous online activities could lead to severe consequences.
Durov, a dual citizen of France and the United Arab Emirates, is currently residing in Dubai. The 39-year-old entrepreneur, who fled Russia in 2014 after refusing to censor opposition groups on his VKontakte platform, has consistently positioned Telegram as a champion of privacy and free speech.
Musk’s comments have reignited the debate over the balance between free speech and content moderation, with his remarks drawing attention to what he sees as the growing threat to individual freedoms in Europe.
