As a seasoned crypto investor with years of experience under my belt, I find myself closely following the latest developments involving Pavel Durov, the founder of Telegram, who was recently detained at Paris-Le Bourget Airport. The allegations against him are serious, ranging from terrorism to drug trafficking and pedophile content.
Telegram founder predicted to face up to 20 years in prison. What’s going on?
Pavel Durov, creator of the Telegram messaging app, was held at Paris-Le Bourget Airport as he departed from a private plane. This businessman, who is also a French national, could potentially be prosecuted for various offenses allegedly committed via Telegram.
As a crypto investor, I’ve been following the news about the recent arrest of the messenger’s founder. While some claim it’s due to terrorism, drug trafficking, fraud, and pedophile content, other sources suggest different reasons altogether for his detainment.
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Why is Durov arrested?
American commentator Tucker Carlson suggests that Durov’s detention serves as a cautionary tale for individuals unwilling to suppress facts upon request from governments or intelligence agencies.
Pavel Durov departed Russia after the government sought to regulate his social media platform, Telegram. However, it wasn’t President Putin who apprehended him due to permitting free speech. Instead, it was a nation that is an ally of the Biden administration and an active member of NATO, which eventually took legal action against him.
— Tucker Carlson (@TuckerCarlson) August 24, 2024
Cyril Amursky, a reporter from LCI TV channel, pointed out that Durov may face up to 20 years imprisonment in France for a criminal case. Moreover, since Durov is a French citizen and wanted only there, he can’t seek asylum in France. The journalist speculated that the businessman might have unexpectedly stopped in France due to running out of fuel.
Simultaneously, the State Duma justified the businessman’s detention due to his refusal to work with American officials.
Durov is considered a potential risk to U.S. national security due to his efforts to contest the predominance of the US dollar and successfully attract substantial American investors towards the next-generation cryptocurrency.
State Duma deputy Anton Gorelkin
According to reporters at Sabah, it’s suspected that the arrest of the Messenger founder may serve as a means to conceal events unfolding in Gaza. Moreover, the publication suggests that France might not be alone in this, as other nations could potentially follow suit, aiming to shut down anti-Zionist news outlets on Telegram, which is less stringent with censorship compared to others.
In response to Durov’s arrest, Steffen Kotre, a German parliament member, underscored that this appears to be a struggle against dissenting voices. He pointed out that the German press frequently labels Telegram as a hub for far-right extremists and proponents of unproven theories.
Crypto community reactions
As an analyst, I observed a significant drop in the value of Toncoin (TON) today, approximately 20%. This decline occurred following the arrest of Telegram’s founder, which caused the price to plummet from $6.83 to $5.37. However, the coin has shown some signs of recovery and was trading at around $5.63 as I was preparing this analysis.
As a researcher delving into the dynamic world of cryptocurrencies, I’ve observed an intriguing trend among industry players. Many have expressed their backing towards Durov, with some going as far as investing in TON. This pattern is evident even among high-profile figures like Andrey Grachev, the founder of DWF Labs, who purchased TON tokens to the tune of $500,000. He has declared his intention to offload these tokens once Durov makes his appearance.
The Foundation for Things introduced a supporter token specifically for Durov, known as Resistance Capybara (CPBR). In just a few initial minutes, its value skyrocketed to multiple millions of dollars. This token experienced an impressive increase of approximately 300%.
Elon Musk, a billionaire, voiced his support for the release of Telegram founder Pavel Durov, calling his detention an effective argument in favor of the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which upholds freedom of speech. He shared a snippet from an interview with Durov where they discussed free speech, and added the hashtag “#FreePavel” to express his advocacy for Durov’s liberty.
Tether CEO Paolo Ardoino believes Durov’s arrest is deeply concerning. Dark times will come if we lose the battle for free speech and communication.
The arrest of Pavel Durov for enabling free speech communications through Telegram is very concerning.
If we, as a society, lose the battle to defend freedom of speech and communication, nothing else won’t matter, dark ages will be our future.
— Paolo Ardoino 🤖🍐 (@paoloardoino) August 26, 2024
Nothing to hide
The Telegram team claims that detained founder Pavel Durov has “nothing to hide.”
Telegram asserts that its moderation practices adhere to industry norms and are consistently upgraded for better performance. Moreover, it ensures compliance with EU regulations such as the Digital Services Act.
Additionally, they acknowledged that Durov’s detention signifies one of the strongest national actions taken against the leader of a social network, and it has the potential to intensify the worldwide discussion about whether these platforms should emphasize online safety or the protection of free speech instead.
Community reacts to Durov’s arrest with memes
In response to Durov’s arrest, the community showed a mix of dismay and humor, as evident by the numerous memes about the Telegram founder’s arrest that surfaced on platform X.
Meanwhile, merch in support of Durov began to appear in the Russian marketplace.
What awaits Durov?
Although numerous platforms similar to Telegram experience similar transgressions, none of the key figures behind WhatsApp, Signal, Threema, or Discord have been apprehended up to this point.
As a researcher reporting on current events, I find myself compelled to share that Durov’s alleged activities have led to accusations involving terrorism, fraud, and money laundering. This stems from his reluctance to collaborate with security forces. Originally scheduled for Aug. 25, the hearing in Paris has been delayed due to the judges requiring an additional 48 hours to clearly outline the charges against him.
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2024-08-27 00:14