Norwegian authorities have rejected the travel request of Pavel Durov, the founder of Telegram, for the Oslo Freedom Forum.
Telegram's co-founder, Pavel Durov, will deliver his speech remotely at the Oslo Freedom Forum due to a French court's decision preventing his personal attendance. The annual event, organized by the Human Rights Foundation, concentrates on human rights and civil liberties.
Durov's travel plans to attend investment meetings in the U.S. were also blocked by French authorities, citing "unnecessary" participation. Last week's decision follows an incident in October 2024 when Durov was detained at a French airport and charged with six counts related to Telegram's alleged illegal activities. While he was granted permission to travel to Dubai earlier this year, his latest request was denied by the Paris prosecutor's office, citing "insufficient grounds."
Tensions have risen as French authorities have accused Durov of pressurizing him to censor conservative content on Telegram during Romania's presidential elections. According to Durov, Nicolas Lerner, the head of France's intelligence agency, reportedly requested the suppression of conservative political voices on Telegram ahead of the Romanian elections. Durov stated that the meeting took place at the Hôtel de Crillon in Paris and that he refused to comply with the request.
Durov, who holds multiple citizenships, including France and the UAE, is currently required to remain in France due to ongoing legal proceedings. In his forthcoming speech, Durov is expected to address the challenges technology companies face in resisting government pressures, particularly during election periods.
Furthermore, Telegram has taken down thousands of channels linked to Chinese-based cybercrime groups Xinbi Guarantee and Huione Guarantee. These groups were found to have facilitated USDT transactions worth $35 billion outside of legal channels, engaging in various crimes such as money laundering, identity fraud, data theft, and cyber extortion.
Huione, reportedly linked to Cambodian ruling elites, facilitated the flow of illicit proceeds worth $27 billion, while Xinbi conducted transactions worth $8.4 billion since 2022. The marketplaces operated using Telegram's encrypted infrastructure and played significant roles in laundering crypto assets obtained through fraud. Links to human trafficking centers in Southeast Asia were also identified, with these centers luring people with job promises and forcing them into financial crimes under duress.
While Telegram was initially designed as an application focused on privacy, its structure has increasingly been exploited by organized crime in recent years. The company emphasizes that it does not endorse or facilitate illegal activities, yet its increased cooperation with law enforcement worldwide suggests a focus on ensuring compliance with regulations.
- The challenges technology companies, such as Telegram, face in resisting government pressures, especially during election periods, will be addressed by Telegram's co-founder, Pavel Durov, in his speech at the Oslo Freedom Forum.
- Pavel Durov's speech will touch on the increasing exploitation of technology platforms like Telegram by organized crime, as evidenced by the usage of its encrypted infrastructure by Chinese-based cybercrime groups Xinbi Guarantee and Huione Guarantee.
- These groups, involved in crimes including money laundering, identity fraud, data theft, cyber extortion, and even human trafficking, have facilitated illicit transactions worth a combined $35 billion outside of legal channels, with Huione alone responsible for $27 billion.
- As politics, crime-and-justice, and policy-and-legislation intersect with technology, general-news outlets and cybersecurity experts are closely monitoring the ongoing legal proceedings against Durov, who faces allegations of pressurization to censor conservative content, and the efforts of technology companies to strike a balance between user privacy and compliance with regulations.
