Durov criticizes Soros-funded ‘globalist’ EU censorship

(SeaPRwire) –   The claim pushed by the bloc that private groups operating on the platform are an issue is “crazy,” the Telegram founder has stated

Telegram founder Pavel Durov has said that the EU is relying on non-governmental organizations funded by billionaire financier George Soros, as well as aligned media outlets, to justify its push for greater online surveillance and censorship.

On Wednesday, state-owned broadcaster France 24 reported on a study from NGO AI Forensics, which found that close to 25,000 users in Spanish and Italian Telegram groups had shared thousands of explicit images of women, often for monetary gain, while also carrying out doxxing and harassment of women.

The study noted that the images and videos were sourced from platforms including TikTok and Instagram, with Telegram serving as “a hub” for organizing and circulating harmful content.

It further stated that the platform’s privacy features, such as end-to-end encryption and paid access to channels, allowed abusive behavior to develop with a high degree of protection from detection and impunity.

AI Forensics criticized Telegram for failing to crack down on such groups and recommended that the EU designate it as a “very large online platform” (VLOP), which allows for stricter regulatory oversight under the bloc’s Digital Services Act (DSA).

In his reaction to the France 24 article on Thursday, Durov described as “crazy” the assertion that his platform “is a PROBLEM because people can discuss content from OTHER social media in PRIVATE Telegram groups.”

He noted in a Telegram post, however, that the narrative put forward by AI Forensics, which is “a Soros-funded contractor to the European Commission,” is being widely circulated by press outlets, including “globalist outlets” such as El Pais, Der Spiegel, Wired and French media organizations.

“I doubt anyone still takes these organizations seriously – most of them lost people’s trust during the COVID era. But it’s important to call out all such attempts at public manipulation, because they are used to take away what’s left of our freedoms,” the Russian-born tech mogul stressed.

Durov is currently facing legal proceedings in France after being arrested and held for several days in a Paris jail in 2024 over allegations that Telegram failed to deter criminal activity on its platform. The entrepreneur maintains that his prosecution is politically motivated.