Telegram CEO Arrested in France Over Content Moderation Issues

[Aoligei]

European here.

Although I disagree with lots of things that the EU does, this one is particularly great to hear because of how Telegram is used by Russian propaganda, as well as often used by various criminals such as drug dealers, pedophiles and others. Heck, I would even say that ordering a hitman is as easy as ordering a pizza from your favorite chain. So, basically, everything you should expect on the dark web, is freely available on the App Store, even to kids, while "respecting" free speech in an even bigger degree than post-Musk Twitter.

Not to mention the company is somehow affiliated with Putin's regime and ignores law.

Just because it has Russian propaganda doesn't mean the CEO should be arrested. If this is true, then all CEO of all major social media platforms should be arrested as all social media used by both Russia or Western counties for its own respective propaganda.

It just to you or most people here, Russian propaganda is worse than western one.

 

[DominikHoffmann]

I guess Signal is not popular enough to attract the ire of politicians..?

Or maybe there’s something to this notion, I use Telegram daily but the whole thing is shady as hell and if I was anyone important I’d never trust their proprietary crypto

Signal is a FBI/CIA honey pot operation.

 

[thettareddast]

European here.

Although I disagree with lots of things that the EU does, this one is particularly great to hear because of how Telegram is used by Russian propaganda, as well as often used by various criminals such as drug dealers, pedophiles and others. Heck, I would even say that ordering a hitman is as easy as ordering a pizza from your favorite chain. So, basically, everything you should expect on the dark web, is freely available on the App Store, even to kids, while "respecting" free speech in an even bigger degree than post-Musk Twitter.

Not to mention the company is somehow affiliated with Putin's regime and ignores law.

You mean the company whose founder left Russia and where both his companies had publicly feuded with Russian authorities over its overreach?

Try to limit spreading your propaganda. If the EU were running macrumors, they'd probably have banned your account.

 

[cocky jeremy]

Shocker. They found something else to be stupid about.

 

[Aoligei]

Crazy idea but responsibility for policing shouldnt be socialized to private entities.

Private entities doesn't above law. Police absolutely have authority to investigate private entities.

Article 11 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the EU says this:



just kidding. the last 2 sentences were made up.

So there are all the laws that limits freedom of express: such as terrorism, racism, anything against law, threatening others via chat etc.

Freedom of speech does not mean you can say anything, absoute freedom means no freedom.

 

[anthogag]

The next one to arrest is Elon. The guy took over Twitter to force his ignorant idea of ”free speech” on society.

 

[HylianKnight]

Since the day governments are not granted backdoors to your system. 😊

Or if running a company so “poorly” and with a disregard to the safety of others that their actions causes harm to others. Negligence.

 

[thejadedmonkey]

He has a responsibility to moderate content as a CEO, but since when is running a company poorly a crime?

I'm so betwixed by this.

On one hand, it's a bit heavy handed to arrest the CEO over content moderation issues. On the other hand, I (as an American) would love to start seeing CEOs being held accountable for their company's (in)actions.

 

[HylianKnight]

Freedom of speech does not mean you can say anything, absoute freedom means no freedom.

Thank you! I have to explain this to people on a daily basis, and it’s exhausting.

 

[The_Gream]

So, people keep saying, it is because he won’t moderate the public groups. If they are public, why aren’t the police/anti-drug groups joining them and then you know doing undercover work to catch the crook.
It’s like holding the local manager for a store libel for the crap that goes on in the company’s parking lot - a public space.

Edit: I need to come back to this when I have a real keyboard. There seems to be some confusion on my point.

 

[mdatwood]

This is absurd, it's like arresting the CEO of a car company because bad people used the car to do illegal things such as terrorism, drug trafficking, money laundering, fraud, and child exploitation.

If your legal business is heavily used to facilitate illegal business and you know this and do nothing to prevent it, your business can be found to also be illegal. There was a case where a person made hidden compartments in cars. This person knew most of the business came from those doing illegal things, and the hidden compartment business also was found to be illegal (many states have since made it de facto illegal).

My question is how heavily used is Telegram in conducting illegal business?

 

[WarmWinterHat]

It’s like holding the local manager for a store libel for the crap that goes on in the company’s parking lot - a public space.

Baring posted releases, you can legally do just that. A parking lot is not a public space, it's private property.

 

[Plutonius]

Sounds like quite a few social media CEOs may want to skip taking vacations in the French Riviera for now. 🤪

I doubt social media CEOs now plan on visiting the EU and UK let alone the French Riviera .

 

[klasma]

If the groups are public, why don't LE groups use them to track down nefarious actors? I never understood this logic. If criminals are willing to put themselves out there, it should be that much easier to hunt them down. It's not like those groups will close down their operations if telegram started moderating more. It's almost like these governments just want to appear like they are doing the right thing, without actually caring about going after the real problem...

Why not both?

 

[tomtad]

We are slowly but surely driving into authoritarian territory while bitching about Putin or China. Worked out great the first time around!

That doesn’t mean you can do what you want. There’s huge crime which is operating through these platforms

 

[peneaux]

Governments upset about not controlling what's being discussed.

 

[nnoble]

Thank you! I have to explain this to people on a daily basis, and it’s exhausting.

You are right. Surprisingly few understand that 'free speech' comes with responsibility and obligation. Free Speech has never ever been totally free of consequences. Long may it stay that way.

 

[nt5672]

He has a responsibility to moderate content as a CEO, but since when is running a company poorly a crime?

He was not asked to moderate content, he was asked to censor content the government did not like. Big difference.

 

[nt5672]

I tried Telegram for awhile and discovered that you could search for public groups near you. I found local groups that sold weed and coke, girls offering escort services... it was weird. All out in the open.

Yep, we should arrest the telephone company CEOs because those same illegal acts are and have been happening using the phone since the phone was invented.

Maybe we should also arrest all of the newspaper CEOs that have ads for escorts, drugs, etc. Oh, we need to arrest CraigsList CEO, for the same reason.

This arrest in France is nothing more than an attempt to enforce the governments will to spread propaganda and kill free speech.

 

[paulvee]

I guess they’ll be arresting the all the top tech CEOs for the same thing lol?

No, they won't, because they are not guilty of the same thing Telegram is guilty of.

 

[Gasu E.]

Maybe his arrest is in line with the EU warning social media and messaging companies that they are to get their act together in moderating their platforms more precisely, especially with regards to misinformation, threats of violence, terrorism, racism, protection of minors (children) and the list goes on. If Telegram has failed to do this then it is a failure of the CEO which clearly the EU is going after. The EU gave many years advance warning that tech companies are to get their act together and if they do not the EU will take action against them. Durvo will not be the first or the last tech CEO that get's arrested for not doing what they were told to do.

Well, the article does not mention "misinformation". It specifically says "terrorism, drug trafficking, money laundering, fraud, and child exploitation". All those are undisputedly serious crimes. The topic of "misinformation" is controversial and touches on discussions of "free speech". It can't be just lumped in with the others.

 

[Gasu E.]

Yep, we should arrest the telephone company CEOs because those same illegal acts are and have been happening using the phone since the phone was invented.

Social media companies can easily, legally, and openly monitor their content. The content is not "private". The phone companies cannot, and should not, be able to. In your scenario, if the phone companies were to be responsible, they would be given the right to monitor your conversation. Conflating private communication with open communication is absurd.

 

[ForkHandles]

So also arrest all gun manufacturers as their guns are used in violence and terrorism. EU has already fallen.

A Gun Manufacturer decides to sell guns with free ammo for $1 to 6 year old boys.

Discuss?!

All countries have laws regulating the written word. All countries.

You’re free to write anything you like, there are no laws to prevent you. You are not and never should be free of the consequences of your words.

Incite murder, go to prison etc etc

This chap removes consequences of those using the written word.

 

[Nuno Lopes]

Yep, we should arrest the telephone company CEOs because those same illegal acts are and have been happening using the phone since the phone was invented.

Totally agree with you. If the basis of the arrest are as described by MacRumours, is ridiculous. Furthermore, it implies that companies should tap in real time all the time private conversations. Is my believe that telegram does strong E2E encryption and are deleted after a short after, much like a phone call, making next to impossible for a non participant to unlock it.

Such tap, should probably be possible but always done by judicial authorization specific to case being investigated. Not through mass surveillance, much less privately run with no supervision.

 

[Bustycat]

European here.

Although I disagree with lots of things that the EU does, this one is particularly great to hear because of how Telegram is used by Russian propaganda, as well as often used by various criminals such as drug dealers, pedophiles and others. Heck, I would even say that ordering a hitman is as easy as ordering a pizza from your favorite chain. So, basically, everything you should expect on the dark web, is freely available on the App Store, even to kids, while "respecting" free speech in an even bigger degree than post-Musk Twitter.

Not to mention the company is somehow affiliated with Putin's regime and ignores law.

Wow that V_Zelenskiy_official I'm following on Telegram is also part of Russian propaganda.