Telegram founder Pavel Durov warned that France could expertise a societal collapse if it continues down its present political trajectory of censorship and regulatory insurance policies throughout an interview on Wednesday.
“Emmanuel Macron isn’t making the appropriate selections. I’m very disenchanted. France is getting weaker and weaker,” Durov mentioned in a translated excerpt from an interview with French outlet Le Level. Durov added:
“If you happen to increase one or two generations with a sure mindset, it then takes many years to vary it. If we proceed to waste time, the chance will increase that the nation should endure very excessive adjustments.
Once we delay obligatory reforms too lengthy, we find yourself experiencing a collapse,” the Telegram founder continued, warning that France was shedding expertise to different jurisdictions like Dubai.
In early June, Durov appeared for an interview with Tucker Carlson, because the Telegram founder continued his media marketing campaign following his August 2024 arrest in France.
The arrest drew widespread condemnation from the crypto neighborhood, civil rights activists and human rights foundations, which proceed to watch the case of Durov and its implications for free speech, self-expression, and political opinion within the digital age.
Associated: Telegram founder Durov on arrest, detention in France: ‘I’m confused’
Claims that French intelligence sought to censor EU election content material
The Telegram founder additionally recounted claims that French intelligence companies requested him to censor pro-conservative content associated to the Might 2025 Romanian presidential election.
Durov mentioned that Nicolas Lerner, the pinnacle of French intelligence companies, approached him on the Hôtel de Crillon and requested to censor the content material on the platform, a request he says he denied.
Durov argued that legal guidelines just like the European Union’s Digital Providers Act are a computer virus for censorship cloaked as shopper safety laws and autos to combat misinformation or promote on-line security.
“These legal guidelines are harmful as a result of they can be utilized in opposition to those that created them. At present, they aim these labeled conspiracy theorists. Tomorrow, they could goal their authors,” Durov mentioned within the interview.
Journal: Did Telegram’s Pavel Durov commit a crime? Crypto lawyers weigh in
