Spain hits back at Pavel Durov over mass Telegram post on social media ban plan
Founder’s extraordinary intervention has laid bare rising tensions between European governments and tech firms
TL;DR
- Spain accuses Telegram founder Pavel Durov of spreading lies and attacking its institutions regarding new social media regulations.
- Durov claims proposed Spanish laws threaten internet freedoms, risk mass surveillance, and could lead to over-censorship.
- Spanish government sources state Durov's message aims to erode trust and underscores the need for app regulation.
- Durov was previously arrested in Paris on fraud and organized crime charges, which he denies.
- French prosecutors are investigating alleged cybercrimes related to content on Elon Musk's platform, X.
- Several European governments are adopting or considering stricter social media legislation, with Australia having already banned under-16s from such platforms.
- Some European governments are using social media humorously and aggressively to counter interference from tech billionaires.
- Spain and France are also pushing to reduce reliance on non-European digital services for public communications and civil service use.