The arrest of Telegram's founder puts the future of free expression and the right to privacy at risk, several civil rights advocates told the Caller.

Durov's arrest was led by France's OFMIN, a group tasked with protecting children from violence. of United States, United Kingdom, European Union (EU) — Laws have been enacted to protect children online, but critics say these policies could be used to stifle free speech and allow for government censorship.

“[Kid’s] “Internet safety is a very convenient excuse for censors,” the Foundation for Online Freedom (FFO) told Caller in a statement, likening the issue to a “Trojan horse.”

“Contrary to common excuses like 'fake information' or 'hate speech,' this is a real issue that concerns the public deeply.”

OFMIN issued an arrest warrant for a preliminary investigation into charges of drug trafficking, fraud, cyberbullying and “promotion of organized crime and terrorism.” ReportedDurov was ultimately indicted on Wednesday on a charge of complicity in disseminating sexual images of children.

Perhaps Pavel Durov is some kind of terrible criminal. But to date, no evidence has been presented to suggest that this is the case. Nevertheless, the establishment media and defenders of civil liberties have been completely silent about his arrest. What we see today is a wide range of… https://t.co/K1XUzAfrPF

— Neil Patel (@NeilPatelTDC) August 27, 2024

Human rights groups condemned the arrests and expressed concern that the future of freedom of expression is uncertain. (Related: Flashback: Arrested Telegram Founder Pavel Durov Tells Tucker that the US Government Wants to Spy on His Users)

“Communications platforms like Telegram are a critical part of the internet architecture and a fundamental driver of free speech,” Joe Mullin, senior policy analyst at the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), said in a statement.

Marin said that if Durov were arrested over Telegram's moderation policies, it would put users' privacy and freedom of speech rights at risk. He noted that Telegram is used by “hundreds of millions” of people around the world, and noted that details about Durov's arrest have not been released.

“These users' right to freedom of expression is at stake,” he concluded.

This was announced by the French Court of Justice of Paris. statement On Monday it listed the 12 charges against Durov.

BREAKING: 12 charges announced against Telegram CEO Pavel Durov: pic.twitter.com/b9wACVF0Aw

— TikTok Library (@libsoftiktok) August 26, 2024

The French government announced that it was investigating Telegram over its site moderation policies and lack of cooperation with authorities, and claimed that Telegram was “complicit” in certain illegal activities. Exit TF1 Information

“Pavel's arrest is concerning,” Toby Young, founder and executive director of the UK-based Free Speech Union (FSU), told the Caller. “If someone made a threatening call, would you arrest a representative from a phone company? Pavel will not be held accountable for anything said on Telegram.”

He added that while some people exploit Telegram's lack of censorship, the platform gives people the freedom to criticize authoritarian regimes.

Durov is Born He is a resident of Russia and also holds French and United Arab Emirates nationality. He fled Russia in 2014 after refusing to hand over encrypted data from the Russian social network VKontakte (VK). Founded by Durov He also denied that Russian authorities had asked him to ban opposition parties from the platform. (Related: Report: Telegram founder Pavel Durov arrested at French airport)

“At this time, the specifics of the charges against Mr. Durov are unclear,” Aaron Teare, director of public advocacy at the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE), told the Caller in a statement. “However, that Mr. Durov was arrested solely for not being more proactive in moderating Telegram raises concerns about government control over online speech.”

Telegram released a statement claiming that it complies with EU regulations such as the Digital Services Act (DSA).

The DSA's purpose is to “prevent illegal and harmful activity online and the spread of disinformation.” European Commission.

“Arresting platform executives for failing to adequately moderate even offensive and harmful content that harms children puts us down a dangerous path that undermines free speech and gives the government too much power to suppress speech,” Kate Ruan, director of the Free Expression Project at the Center for Democracy and Technology, said in a statement to the Caller.

She explained that his arrest paves the way for increased government censorship, threatening users' privacy and freedom of expression.

“The risk is even more acute with end-to-end encrypted services, where the platform has no access to the content of messages,” Luan added.

Durov's arrest is not the first time the government has taken action to tackle harmful online content specifically targeted at children.

The EU in 2023 document Obtained Wired The White House detailed proposals to require technology companies to scan users' private messages for illegal content, which it said could put end-to-end encryption and digital privacy at risk.

In the United States, the Senate Passed Children's Online Safety Act (KOSA) — A bill aimed at protecting children from harmful content online — In July, Kentucky Republican Senator Rand Paul letter Paul warned his colleagues about the dangers of KOSA, which he argued would stifle the First Amendment, and called the bill a “Trojan horse,” pointing to the bill's vague language.

“Protecting children from serious harm is crucial, but too often governments try to achieve that goal by imposing overly broad and vague regulations that open the door to unchecked censorship,” FIRE's Aaron Teare told the Caller.

Critics Attacked KOSA is an overly broad law that poses a threat to online anonymity. Because KOSA will be overseen by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), it will be subject to the whims of whichever administration is in power. (Related article: Jonathan Turley slams 'global censorship' after Telegram arrests, says Americans should be afraid)

“A look at the text of KOSA and similar bills in other countries reveals that prohibitions against online 'bullying' and 'harassment' are vaguely defined. – Both are proven false flags used to stifle political speech,” the FFO said.

Similarly, the UK Online Safety Act A bill has been introduced to implement online protection for adults and children in 2023. The bill has been criticized for potentially allowing the government to censor the internet.

After riots broke out across the UK this summer, the government is considering strengthening online safety laws to tackle “incitement to violence and hate speech”, Reuters reported. Reported.

Toby Young, from FSU, said there were ways platforms could protect people online, such as age verification for children and adjustable safety settings for adults.

We're disappointed that the Online Safety Bill passed, but thanks to us and other free speech advocates, it's a bit of an improvement over previous versions.

* The obligation on social media companies to remove “lawful but harmful” content has been lifted.

* New Harm…

— Free Speech Union (@SpeechUnion) September 20, 2023

“The best judge of what is 'safe' is the public, not the government,” Young told the Caller.