Big news that shocked the world today (25th) came out: Pavel Durov, the founder and CEO of Telegram, a global messaging software with 900 million users, was arrested at the French airport. The reason for detention was that the Telegram platform was involved in money laundering, drug smuggling, and the spread of pedophilia. According to French media reports , Pavel Durov was put on the wanted list minutes before getting off the plane.
The news of Durov's arrest has attracted widespread attention in the encryption market. In communities that support free speech and decentralized networks, Durov has long been committed to protecting user privacy and free speech. This charge may have serious consequences for him personally and the Telegram platform. This will have a major impact. According to French media reports, Durov will soon appear in court as a French citizen.
Former CIA analyst: Arrests impossible without Macron’s approval
News of the French government's arrest of Pavel Durov has also spread political conspiracy theories. In this regard, Russian satellite news agency Sputnik interviewed former CIA and former US Intelligence Agency CIA analyst Larry Johnson. He said that Telegram founder Pavel Durov may face terrorism. Pavel Durov pointed out that Telegram is one of the few communication platforms that still allows criticism of Western policies, which may be the real reason why Pavel Durov was targeted.
Larry Johnson further said that the activities of supporters of the terrorist Hamas in the Middle East were part of the background to the accusations, but he emphasized that the accusations were "fabricated political cases" aimed at intimidating Pavel Durov, a technology entrepreneur who he believed There may be deeper political motives behind the arrests, noting that Durov once had a friendly relationship with French President Emmanuel Macron, but that relationship appears to have broken down.
Without Macron’s knowledge and approval, such arrests would not have been possible!
If you're a Russian billionaire, you've got a big, fat target on your back.
Durov once publicly stated: The FBI will greet you when you get off the plane.
Back in April this year, Telegram founder Pavel Durov revealed in an interview with reporter Tucker Carlson that the US government had tried to undermine Telegram's security and monitor users of the application.
Pavel Durov said that whenever he traveled to the United States, he would be closely watched by the FBI and other security agencies. He recalled that he would be questioned by the FBI and other agencies every time he entered the country, and the FBI tried to understand the Telegram client. Which open source libraries are integrated into the application.
Even more shocking, Durov revealed that U.S. officials had tried to convince his engineers to integrate certain open source tools into Telegram's code. These tools seemed harmless, but in Durov's view, they might actually be backdoors. A so-called backdoor refers to a secret access function built into an application that allows government agencies or other actors to crack encrypted messages and monitor user activities.
Pavel Durov emphasized that the United States has been working hard to monitor global Internet traffic, and former CIA contractor Edward Snowden has exposed the large-scale espionage capabilities of the National Security Agency (NSA). The U.S. government, through its intelligence agencies, has also sought to influence online discussions on major social media platforms.
Pavel Durov also added during the interview: I personally experienced similar pressure in the United States. He described how every time he arrived in the United States, he was always greeted by two FBI agents at the airport and asked various questions. He believed that the purpose of these operations was to establish a relationship to control Telegram so that the U.S. government could have better control. the platform.
