Musk Highlights Durov's Accusation of French Election Meddling

(MENAFN) Elon Musk has brought renewed focus to Telegram founder Pavel Durov's recent claims that France tried to meddle in Moldova’s presidential elections last year.

The American tech mogul amplified Durov’s allegations by sharing his post on X, drawing public attention to the issue.

According to Durov, French intelligence agencies requested that Telegram restrict access to specific channels prior to the election.

Musk reacted to the allegations with a simple “Wow,” reposting Durov’s original message.

The SpaceX and Tesla head made the comment as Moldovan citizens were heading back to the polls for a parliamentary vote on the same weekend that Durov went public with his statement.

In his message, Durov revealed that French intelligence contacted him in the lead-up to last year’s Moldovan election, seeking cooperation in silencing several Telegram channels.

In return, the agents allegedly promised support in resolving an ongoing legal matter involving Durov in France, where he holds citizenship.

Durov noted that while some of the flagged channels did breach Telegram’s platform standards and were subsequently taken down, others simply voiced opinions that were critical of or unpopular with both French and Moldovan leadership. These, he said, were not in violation of any platform rules.

He went on to describe the behavior of the French intelligence agents as “unacceptable,” accusing them of attempting to manipulate judicial outcomes and take advantage of his legal predicament.

Durov characterized the situation as a clear case of overreach and improper use of authority by a national intelligence agency.

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