Bitget App
Trade smarter
Buy cryptoMarketsTradeFuturesEarnSquareMore
Telegram CEO Pavel Durov Reveals French Intelligence Push to Censor Telegram Channels

Telegram CEO Pavel Durov Reveals French Intelligence Push to Censor Telegram Channels

DeFi PlanetDeFi Planet2025/09/29 20:21
By:DeFi Planet

Contents

Toggle
  • Quick Breakdown:
  • French Intelligence Pressure and Telegram’s Response
  • Implications for Platform Censorship and Political Influence

Quick Breakdown: 

  • Telegram CEO Pavel Durov revealed that French intelligence pressured him to censor Telegram channels ahead of Moldova’s presidential elections. 
  • While some channels violating Telegram’s rules were removed, Durov refused to censor legally compliant channels expressing unpopular opinions. 
  • The incident spotlights government attempts to influence online speech and Telegram’s commitment to free expression.

Telegram CEO Pavel Durov disclosed that French intelligence agencies pressured him to censor specific Telegram channels in Moldova before the presidential elections, exposing a covert attempt to influence political discourse through platform censorship.

🇲🇩 About a year ago, while I was stuck in Paris, the French intelligence services reached out to me through an intermediary, asking me to help the Moldovan government censor certain Telegram channels ahead of the presidential elections in Moldova.

After reviewing the channels…

— Pavel Durov (@durov) September 28, 2025

French Intelligence Pressure and Telegram’s Response

According to Durov, about a year ago, during his legal troubles in Paris, a middleman connected French intelligence with him to assist in censoring some Telegram channels flagged by French and Moldovan authorities. After reviewing these channels, Telegram found some clearly violated its rules and duly removed them. However, a subsequent list of “problematic” channels largely consisted of legitimate channels expressing political opinions disliked by the French and Moldovan governments. Durov refused to comply with this second request, asserting Telegram’s dedication to freedom of expression and rejecting government efforts to manipulate platform content under the guise of law enforcement.

Implications for Platform Censorship and Political Influence

This revelation sheds light on government agencies’ covert attempts to use social media platforms for political influence by leveraging legal and extralegal pressures. Durov accused the French intelligence agency of either interfering with judicial procedures by promising influence over the judge who ordered his arrest or exploiting his legal predicament to sway Moldovan politics. This case underscores the ongoing challenges decentralized platforms face balancing regulatory compliance and protecting political expression, particularly in sensitive electoral contexts.

Telegram’s stance highlights the tension between platform governance and state demands amid global debates on censorship and surveillance. The incident also follows a high-profile legal context surrounding Durov’s arrest in France for alleged content violations, illustrating the complex intersection of cybersecurity, law enforcement, and freedom of speech on encrypted communication platforms.

Meanwhile, AlphaTON Capital Corp has successfully secured $71 million in financing, coinciding with its initial acquisition of TON tokens. These tokens are crucial for engagement within The Open Network ecosystem. This significant capital infusion is earmarked to fuel the company’s expansion, spearhead new blockchain initiatives, and fortify its position in the Decentralised Finance (DeFi) solutions market. 

 

Take control of your crypto  portfolio with MARKETS PRO, DeFi Planet’s suite of analytics tools.”

0

Disclaimer: The content of this article solely reflects the author's opinion and does not represent the platform in any capacity. This article is not intended to serve as a reference for making investment decisions.

PoolX: Earn new token airdrops
Lock your assets and earn 10%+ APR
Lock now!

You may also like

Apeing’s approach of targeting early adopters is driving the latest major trend in cryptocurrency investments

- Apeing ($APEING) leads 2025 crypto social feeds with a $0.0001 presale entry offering projected 10,000% ROI via limited whitelist access. - Binance Coin ($BNB), Litecoin ($LTC), Avalanche ($AVAX), and Chainlink ($LINK) gain traction for utility-driven infrastructure and transactional roles. - Market shifts toward community-driven assets follow Binance's legal challenges, with Apeing's meme branding and audit transparency attracting early adopters. - Shiba Inu ($SHIB) and FLOKI ($FLOKI) show resilience th

Bitget-RWA2025/11/29 01:50
Apeing’s approach of targeting early adopters is driving the latest major trend in cryptocurrency investments

Kalshi’s Federal Argument Rejected as Court Upholds State Gambling Laws

- Nevada judge rules Kalshi's sports-event contracts as unlicensed gambling under state law, rejecting its federal derivatives defense. - Market reacts with betting firms like DraftKings and Flutter seeing stock gains, while Kalshi seeks emergency appeal to block enforcement. - Ruling strengthens state regulators' stance, potentially influencing cases in New Jersey, Illinois, and Ohio, highlighting federal-state jurisdiction tensions.

Bitget-RWA2025/11/29 01:50
Kalshi’s Federal Argument Rejected as Court Upholds State Gambling Laws

Investors Turn to Apeing's Organized Approach as Interest in BONK and FLOKI Declines

- Apeing ($APEING) gains traction as a 100x meme coin with a $0.0001 presale price and $0.001 listing target, contrasting with waning momentum in BONK and FLOKI. - The project's whitelist model and controlled supply tiers aim to stabilize speculative dynamics, drawing comparisons to Bitcoin's early adoption curve. - Upbit's $36M hack triggered Korean altcoin volatility, amplifying microcap token interest while GeeFi (GEE) raises $350K in its 80% complete presale. - Bitcoin options show $2B in $80,000 put p

Bitget-RWA2025/11/29 01:50
Investors Turn to Apeing's Organized Approach as Interest in BONK and FLOKI Declines

Solana News Update: XRP Surpasses Solana in ETF Competition While Fee Wars Reshape Financial Contests

- XRP ETFs outpace Solana in inflows due to aggressive fee wars and institutional strategies, accumulating $587M in under 10 days. - Solana proposes doubling disinflation rate to 30% to curb supply-side pressures, but success depends on broader DAT adoption. - Market fragmentation sees yield-driven XRP and staking-focused Solana competing for institutional capital amid ETF redemptions in Bitcoin/Ethereum. - Structural risks like MSCI's treasury reclassifications could trigger $8.8B passive outflows, reshap

Bitget-RWA2025/11/29 01:50
Solana News Update: XRP Surpasses Solana in ETF Competition While Fee Wars Reshape Financial Contests