Pavel Durov rejects French request to block political channels
France denies accusations that it tried to pressure Telegram into political censorship.
Telegram CEO Pavel Durov has alleged that France’s foreign intelligence agency attempted to pressure him. He claims they wanted him to ban Romanian conservative channels ahead of the 2025 presidential elections.
The meeting, framed as a counterterrorism effort, allegedly focused instead on geopolitical interests, including Romania, Moldova and Ukraine.
Durov claimed that French officials requested user IP logs and urged Telegram to block political voices under the pretext of tackling child exploitation content. He dismissed the request, stating that the agency’s actual goal was political interference rather than public safety.
France has firmly denied the allegations, insisting the talks focused solely on preventing online threats.
The dispute centres on concerns about election influence, particularly in Romania, where centrist Nicușor Dan recently defeated nationalist George Simion.
Durov, previously criticised over Telegram’s content, accused France of undermining democracy while claiming to protect it.
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