Telegram Founder Says He Rejected a Western Request to Silence Conservative Voices in Romania
- On Sunday, Pavel Durov, the founder of Telegram, revealed that he declined a request from a Western European government to suppress conservative content related to Romania's upcoming presidential run-off election.
- This request came amid a tense election held nearly six months after Russia-alleged interference led to cancellation of the initial ballot and banning of far-right candidate Călin Georgescu.
- Durov posted that Telegram will not restrict Romanian users' freedoms or block political channels, adding, "I flatly refused," and included a baguette emoji possibly hinting at France.
- He stated, "You can't defend democracy by destroying democracy," while France's foreign ministry denied interference, calling such allegations "completely unfounded" and urging respect for Romanian democracy.
- The election, between a hard-right eurosceptic and a centrist independent, carried significant implications for Romania’s struggling economy and the unity of the European Union.
124 Articles
124 Articles
Charge of Interference in the Presidential Elections in Romania: "We Are in a War of Information and Influence"
MAINTENANCE - Pavel Durov, founder of Telegram, claims to have been approached by the DGSI to censor conservative voices during the Romanian election. A plausible hypothesis for General François Chauvancy, at a time when social networks became a battlefield in a war of influence.
Telegram Founder Says French Intelligence Asked Him To Censor Romanian Conservatives Ahead of Election
The founder of internet messaging app Telegram has accused the French intelligence service of asking him to censor Romanian conservatives ahead of the country’s crucial election
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French Intelligence Rejects Durov Allegation Of Romanian Election Meddling
Russian-born Pavel Durov said French intelligence asked him to ban Romanian right-wing comments on the Telegram messaging app he founded ahead of the weekend runoff presidential election in the Balkan country, an accusation the Directorate General for External Security (DGSE) rejected.
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