Telegram founder’s arrest sparks debate over whether X owner Elon Musk could be next

The spectacular arrest of Pavel Durov on the tarmac of Le Bourget airport in Paris, just after his private jet landed on Saturday, has sparked intense debate over exactly where the boundaries of protected free speech end and the rule of law begins.

Durov is detained in France initially without official charges, but authorities could accuse Telegram’s founder of failing to police illegal content and commerce conducted through Telegram.

Musk’s X it is also in the European stake decision makers, the EU Commission recently reminded of its failure to comply with the Digital Services Act, which requires large platform owners to systematically clamp down on false and misleading content.

The entrepreneur, who is also the CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, called on France to “free Pavel”, warning that his arrest signaled dangerous times for democracy.

“The Second Amendment is the only long-term reason the First Amendment will be upheld,” he added, referring to the constitutionally protected right in the United States to bear arms and exercise free speech.

POV: It’s 2030 in Europe and you’re being executed for liking a meme https://t.co/OkZ6YS3u2P

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 24, 2024

Musk is increasingly casting himself as someone who is trying to stem the rising tide of censorship and government overreach. Owner X earlier this month lashed out at Brussels for its perceived heavy-handed approach to regulation. (Musk has yet to criticize China, the manufacturing hub for half of Tesla’s cars).

Chris Pavlovski, CEO of rival YouTube Rumble, used similarly blunt language after claiming to have left European soil “safely”.

“France threatened Rumble and now they’ve crossed the red line by arresting Telegram CEO Pavel Durov for not censoring speech,” he posted on Sunday.

It is unclear what Pavlovsky was doing in Europe and he did not respond to a request for it wealth for comment.

— What’s next… Elon Musk’s arrest?

This year has been one of the biggest tests of democracy in recent memory, with elections held in countries comprising more than half the world’s population.

The integrity of elections was therefore a major concern across the political spectrum. Regulators such as the EU Commission have been particularly sensitive to the risk of pranks spreading instantly on social networks such as Telegram or X, where there is little oversight or accountability.

In a statement, Telegram countered allegations of alleged wrongdoing, saying Durov had “nothing to hide” and claimed the Dubai resident with French citizenship regularly travels to Europe, rejecting the idea that he had only just been arrested after stepping into the latter on EU territory.

The arrest of Pavel Durov is worrying.

Telegram is a secure free expression app. It may have some bad actors, but all platforms do.

What’s next… Elon Musk’s arrest?

— Nigel Farage MP (@Nigel_Farage) August 25, 2024

Nigel Farage, head of Britain’s populist Reform Party and a close associate of Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, admitted that poor apples are common on social media platforms such as Telegram.

“Pavel Durov’s arrest is worrying,” he posted. “What’s next… Elon Musk’s arrest?”

Rumble stands alongside Telegram.

— Chris Pavlovski (@chrispavlovski) August 25, 2024

Alexander Vindman, the retired US Army lieutenant colonel who testified as a key witness in Trump’s first impeachment, wrote that Durov’s case had broader implications for social media sites like X.

“There is a growing intolerance for misinformation and malign influence, and a growing appetite for accountability,” he wrote. “Musk should be nervous.”

Last month, Musk posted a deepfake video featuring an AI-generated voiceover of Kamala Harris calling herself a diversity employee and the senile Biden. The post did not explicitly mention the use of artificial intelligence in what some claimed was a violation of X’s own terms of service against manipulation of content for the purpose of deception.

Musk later shared a fabricated story, claimed by the British newspaper telegraph reporting that the British mutineers would be deported to the Falkland Islands, near Argentina. Tesla’s CEO quietly deleted the post, which garnered millions of views, after being called out for spreading disinformation.

“Propaganda is not just about creating fake news,” Musk explained last week, without referring to any specific incident. “It’s also about hiding the real news.”

X in financially troubled waters, leaving their banks on the hook

Musk’s stewardship of X turns into a financial disaster for the entrepreneur. According to the company’s internal figures cited by New York TimesUS revenue in Q2 fell to $114 million, representing a steep 84% drop from pre-Musk Twitter just two years ago.

Fidelity has taken a massive charge on the value of its private investment in X, while money managers treat the company’s debt as if it were radioactive. A consortium of banks that backed Musk’s October 2022 buyout failed to unload nearly $13 billion in leveraged loans still sitting on their books.

Tesla investors now fear that Musk will liquidate more shares just to keep the X afloat.

When you arrive from wealth for comment, X replied that he was busy. Musk did not respond to a request for comment.

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