Durov: Censorship May Trigger Collapse in France

- Telegram founder highlights threat to democracy from regulatory policies. - Civil suit in Malaysia targets Telegram for failure to manage harmful content. Telegram founder Pavel Durov issued a stark warning, cautioning that increasing censorship in France could potentially destabilize society. His comments coincide with Telegram facing ongoing legal challenges in Malaysia. On June 18, 2025, Cryptopolitan reported on Pavel Durov's interview with Le Point; additionally, on June 19, 2025, Cointelegraph and AInvest also reported on this interview. In this interview, Durov cautioned that France's regulatory policies could lead to societal collapse. Durov criticized the EU's Digital Services Act (DSA). Pavel Durov, founder of Telegram, in the Le Point interview (reported from June 18), described the DSA as a "Trojan horse." He argued that while the DSA ostensibly promotes consumer safety, it effectively enables political censorship. Furthermore, he warned that excessive regulation, under the guise of fighting disinformation, risks targeting today's conspiracy theorists and added that, in time, this regulation could even target those who create such laws. Durov recounted an instance where French intelligence pressured him to filter political content related to the Romanian presidential election, stating that Nicolas Lerner, head of France's intelligence agency, asked him to censor pro-conservative messages on Telegram. Durov refused, citing the platform's neutrality policy. Moreover, Durov emphasized that such government actions drive professionals and innovators out of France; consequently, Dubai is emerging as an alternative hub for tech talent. In related news, the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) took legal action against Telegram. On June 19, The Star reported that the MCMC filed a civil suit against Telegram, alleging the platform failed to address harmful content on two channels: "Edisi Siasat" and "Edisi Khas." The MCMC obtained an interim injunction against these channels, accusing them of spreading unverified material that could harm public trust and social harmony. This action marks Malaysia's first civil suit against a social media platform provider, and the MCMC initiated this suit following Telegram's alleged inaction despite repeated negotiations. As of June 19, 16:00 UTC, Bitcoin (BTC) is trading at $28,532. According to CoinMarketCap, its 24-hour trading volume increased by 1.7%.