FLASH
Shkruar nga PamfletiThe arrest in France last week of Pavel Durov, the billionaire boss of the social networking platform Telegram, is reverberating around the world, as Russia urged France not to turn the investigation into "political persecution". As Voice of America correspondent Henry Ridgewell reports, Mr. Durov is under investigation for suspicious, illegal activities for which Telegram is accused.
Pavel Durov, the head of the social networking site Telegram, was released from custody in Paris on Wednesday after posting a $5.6 million bond. He has been banned from leaving France.
"There is a wide range of allegations, ranging from the lack of action against the sale of drugs on Telegram, the distribution of child sexual abuse material, the failure to provide information to users when requested as part of criminal investigations. The lawsuit also includes allegations of money laundering," says TJ McIntyre from the University of Dublin's Faculty of Law.
Durov's lawyer, David-Olivier Kaminski, said that "Telegram" works in accordance with the laws of the European Union.
"It is completely absurd to think that the head of a social network can be involved in criminal actions that are not directly or indirectly related to him" , says Mr. Kaminiski.
Pavel Durov, who holds Russian, French and United Arab Emirates citizenship, founded Dubai-based Telegram in 2013. His fortune is estimated at over $15 billion. French investigators say that Telegram does not comply with the law that requires the monitoring of the content published on this application.
"The managers of these applications are regarded as individuals who scoff at the idea of removing illegal content that is published by users. If this is true, if they have been notified of certain content by users that has been in violation of the law and have not removed it, then they have lost immunity under EU law ," says Daphne Keller from the Faculty of Law. at Stanford.
Elon Musk, the owner of the social network X, offered support to Mr. Durov. Mr. Musk republished an earlier comment calling surveillance "a propaganda word aimed at censorship." It is likely that he is worried about the consequences, says Professor McIntyre from the University of Dublin.
"Such measures can be taken against him personally," says McIntyre.
Telegram has over 900 million users worldwide. It is widely used by the Russian and Ukrainian armies in Moscow's war against Ukraine. Mr. Durov may seek to strike a deal with prosecutors, McIntyre says.
"It is technically possible for Telegram to have access to people's communications, communications that users may think are encrypted. This creates a treasure trove of data that intelligence authorities in many countries, not just France, would no doubt love to have. It could be that access to this data turns out to be a very valuable negotiating tool for someone in this position," says McIntyre.
French President Emmanuel Macron has said that Mr. Durov's arrest was in no way a political decision. According to Mr. Macron, it is up to "the judiciary, in complete independence, to apply the law". He added that France is deeply committed to freedom of expression.
Russia has in the past blocked access to Telegram to stifle dissenting voices within Russian society. However, the Kremlin on Thursday warned France against turning the investigation of Pavel Durov into a "political persecution"./VOA
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