Elon Musk Stands by Telegram CEO Pavel Durov After Arrest in France: 'Dangerous Times'

Elon Musk, the outspoken advocate of free speech and the man behind Twitter’s transformation into X, has come forward to defend Pavel Durov, the CEO of Telegram, following his arrest in France. Musk, known for his “free speech absolutist” stance, has consistently championed the First Amendment, reducing moderation on X to allow diverse content, from the free and the controversial to the contentious and the unfettered.

“Moderation is a propaganda word for censorship,” Musk once declared, a sentiment he reiterated today in the wake of Durov’s arrest near Paris.

French authorities have stated that they are investigating serious criminal offenses on Telegram, including fraud, drug trafficking, and organized crime. This crackdown comes after accusations from some European countries that Telegram has failed to adequately moderate content related to criminal activities.

For Musk, Durov represents a kindred spirit in the fight for digital freedom. Durov, who fled Russia to protect user data from government intrusion on the social media platform he founded in 2006, Vkontakte, has consistently resisted pressure to censor content on Telegram. This includes content related to conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza, as well as communications between groups labeled as terrorists by certain Western governments.

“We cannot make messaging technology secure for everybody except terrorists,” Durov stated in a 2016 CNN interview, emphasizing the importance of universal digital security—a stance that resonates deeply with Musk.

In response to Durov’s arrest, Musk took to X, condemning the action as a severe breach of free speech rights. “Liberté Liberté! Liberté?” Musk questioned in one post, followed by, “Dangerous times,” in another.

Musk further amplified his support by adding the hashtag “FreePavel” when he shared a video of Durov expressing admiration for Musk’s pro-free-speech views during an interview with Tucker Carlson earlier this year.

In a call to action, Musk urged his followers to circulate X posts, especially in countries where censorship is rampant. “It is vital to the support of free speech that you forward X posts to people you know, especially in censorship-heavy countries,” he wrote on Sunday.

Musk’s defense of Durov aligns with sentiments expressed by others in the tech community. Chris Pavlovski, CEO of Rumble—a platform often described as a right-wing alternative to YouTube—also condemned Durov’s arrest, stating that France “crossed a red line.”

Echoing a pointed critique of selective justice, with the same logic, we could imprison the founders of Toyota because terrorists use their vehicles as their primary means of transport…