Recently, Edward Snowden (a US whistleblower) has condemned the arrest of Pavel Durov, the CEO of the social media platform Telegram. In his recent statement, Edward Snowden asserted that the Telegram CEO’s arrest was an attack on the primary human rights. The American whistleblower took to his official X account to reflect on this event. Earlier, Vitalik Buterin also raised voice for Pavel Durov.
The arrest of @Durov is an assault on the basic human rights of speech and association. I am surprised and deeply saddened that Macron has descended to the level of taking hostages as a means for gaining access to private communications. It lowers not only France, but the world.
— Edward Snowden (@Snowden) August 25, 2024
US Whistleblower Says the Detainment of Telegram CEO Infringes the Basic Human Rights
French police reportedly arrested Durov following the landing of his private jet at the Paris-based Le Bourget Airport on Saturday. The officials disclosed that they detained the Telegram CEO regarding an inquiry about the social media platform’s deficiency concerning moderators. Despite the denial of the respective allegation, the police detained him. They reportedly accused him of not taking adequate measures to stop criminals from using Telegram.
In addition to this, the officials have accused Telegram of expressing no cooperation with law enforcement agencies. This takes into account fraud, child sexual content, and drug trafficking. However, the sudden arrest of Durov has sent a shockwave in the community. Edward Snowden has reportedly been living in Russian jurisdiction since the year 2013.
Telegram Experiences a significant Scrutiny in the United Kingdom
According to the reports, his leaks ignited a worldwide discussion concerning internet surveillance. Edward Snowden’s statement tags Durov’s arrest as an infringement of basic human rights. Within the UK, the Telegram app went through scrutiny over hosting some far-right channels.
