Pavel Durov, the founder of the encrypted messaging app Telegram, has publicly stated that the head of French intelligence asked him to ban conservative Romanian voices on the platform in the lead-up to the country’s presidential election. Durov made the explosive allegations on Sunday via his Telegram channel and social media platform X, just hours before the Romanian election results saw a centrist independent candidate defeat a hard-right nationalist.
In his posts, Durov claimed that Nicolas Lerner, the head of France’s DGSI (General Directorate for Internal Security), approached him during a meeting in Paris this spring. According to Durov, Lerner requested that Telegram censor conservative voices in Romania before the presidential election runoff. Durov stated he refused this request, citing Telegram’s long-standing commitment to free speech, a principle he claims the platform has upheld even in countries with strict censorship laws like Russia, Belarus, and Iran.
Durov initially hinted at the country involved by posting a message that included a baguette emoji, widely recognized as a symbol of France, before explicitly naming the country and the intelligence official. He argued that suppressing certain political voices undermines democracy, stating, “You can’t ‘defend democracy’ by destroying democracy. You can’t ‘fight election interference’ by interfering with elections. You either have freedom of speech and fair elections — or you don’t. And the Romanian people deserve both.”
France swiftly and strongly denied Durov’s accusations. The French foreign ministry issued a statement on X, labeling the allegations as “completely unfounded” and urging “everyone to exercise responsibility and respect for Romanian democracy.”
Durov’s claims surfaced as Romania held its presidential election runoff, a closely watched contest between centrist Bucharest mayor Nicușor Dan and hard-right nationalist George Simion. Dan ultimately won the election with approximately 54% of the vote. Simion, known for his populist and Eurosceptic views, had preemptively alleged electoral fraud.
This is not the first time Romania’s elections have been embroiled in controversy. A previous presidential vote was annulled due to alleged Russian interference, claims Moscow has denied.
Pavel Durov himself has been a controversial figure. He was detained in France last year in connection with an investigation into Telegram’s role in facilitating illicit activities, including the distribution of child sexual abuse material and drug trafficking. Durov has denied these allegations, arguing that Telegram actively combats harmful content and exceeds its legal obligations in content moderation.
