Telegram CEO Pavel Durov made flagrant claims about Moldova’s elections, stating that French authorities pressured him to ban pro-Russian channels. This allegedly happened roughly a year ago.
As Russia and the EU both exerted extraordinary pressure on the tiny nation, Telegram, crypto, and other Web3 infrastructure enabled new tactics. This could damage popular confidence in future elections.
Durov’s Moldovan Accusations
Moldova’s elections took place yesterday, and foreign policy clearly became the defining issue for the nation. Should the government pursue EU membership or détente with Russia? Last week, investigators identified a pro-Russian campaign that used crypto to fund candidates, activists, polling operations, and more.
However, the waters have since muddied significantly, as it seems that pro-EU figures also took extraordinary measures to nudge the outcome. Specifically, Telegram CEO Pavel Durov accused French officials of leaning on him to influence Moldova’s elections:
Durov did not claim that this Moldova meddling happened recently; allegedly, it took place during his arrest in France last year. Specifically, he claimed that French intelligence asked him to ban a few Telegram channels for election meddling. The list, flagged by French and Moldovan officials, entirely consisted of pro-Russian groups.
Did EU Officials Commit Blackmail?
Durov examined these suspect Moldovan channels, and determined that several of them indeed violated Telegram’s terms of service. After removing them, he claimed that French intelligence said it would “say good things” about him to the presiding judge. Then came subsequent requests to ban more pro-Russia channels, which Durov refused.
If Durov’s allegations were true, it would mean that an EU government was actively complicit in meddling with Moldova’s elections.
Government authorities also took the controversial move of banning two pro-Russian parties one day before the election, further distorting the democratic process. Europhile parties won the race afterward.
Still, it may be worth taking these claims with a grain of salt. Durov criticized his arrest on several occasions, but only brought out these year-old accusations during Moldova’s elections.
After all, France released him despite his refusal to continue banning pro-Russia Telegram channels. His narrative may be biased or misleading.
Using Web3 Against Democracy
Nonetheless, these are very serious allegations. The entire population of Moldova is smaller than that of Chicago, and two of the world’s largest powers may have disrupted its democratic process. How can the country decide its own future in these circumstances?
Moreover, the crypto community has a lot to be worried about. Bitcoin was created to be borderless and decentralized, but Web3 firms and structures might be involved in electoral meddling.
Developers need to maintain firm principles to combat partisan influence.
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