Musk raises concerns about censorship in Europe, \u201cIt\u2019s 2030 in Europe and you\u2019re being executed for liking a meme\u201d
\n Washington
\nElon Musk has voiced his strong disapproval of European authorities following the arrest of Pavel Durov, the billionaire founder of Telegram.
\nMusk described the incident as an attack on free speech and demanded justice for Durov in a series of posts.
\nIn response to a statement by American entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy that \u201cIt\u2019s Telegram today. It\u2019ll be X tomorrow,\u201d Musk agreed, stating, \u201che\u2019s right.\u201d
\nMusk also tweeted, \u201cPOV: It\u2019s 2030 in Europe and you\u2019re being executed for liking a meme,\u201d highlighting his concerns about growing censorship in the region.
\nDurov, a 39-year-old Russian-born entrepreneur with dual French and UAE citizenship, was detained at Le Bourget airport near Paris on Saturday after arriving on a private jet from Azerbaijan.
\nHis arrest was part of a preliminary investigation by French authorities into Telegram\u2019s moderation practices, amid allegations that the platform has enabled various crimes due to inadequate content moderation and insufficient cooperation with law enforcement.
\nAccording to Reuters, Durov\u2019s arrest was based on an outstanding warrant in France. The investigation is led by a specialized cybersecurity unit and the national anti-fraud police, under the supervision of a judge with expertise in organized crime.
\nFollowing the arrest, the Russian government issued a warning to France, demanding that Durov be afforded his legal rights.
\nRussia\u2019s foreign ministry also requested access to Durov, despite his French citizenship. Russian lawmaker Maria Butina labeled Durov a \u2018political prisoner,\u2019 claiming his arrest was part of a Western \u2018witch-hunt.\u2019
\nIn response, Telegram released a statement asserting that it complies with European Union laws, including the Digital Services Act.
\nThe company defended Durov, stating that he has nothing to hide and frequently travels across Europe.
\nTelegram rejected claims that the platform or its owner should be held accountable for any misuse of the service, reaffirming its commitment to user privacy and free speech.
\nFounded by Durov in 2013 after leaving Russia due to government pressure to shut down opposition groups on VK, Telegram has grown into one of the most influential messaging apps, with close to 1 billion users.
\nThe platform has played a crucial role during Russia\u2019s invasion of Ukraine, providing unfiltered content from both sides of the conflict.
\nHowever, its rising popularity has drawn scrutiny from European governments over concerns about security and data breaches.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Musk raises concerns about censorship in Europe, \u201cIt\u2019s 2030 in Europe and you\u2019re being executed for liking a meme\u201d Washington Elon Musk has voiced his strong disapproval of European authorities following the arrest of Pavel Durov, the billionaire founder of Telegram. Musk described the incident as an attack on free speech and demanded justice for […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":427420,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-427399","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n