Pavel Durov, Elon Musk Accuse EU/UK of Using “Child Safety” to Pressure Social Media CEOs
Telegram founder Pavel Durov accused EU and UK authorities of providing social media CEOs secret offers to suppress dissent, claiming “youngster safety” serves as cowl for censorship. X (Twitter) proprietor Elon Musk publicly backed him.
Durov’s statements got here the identical day French prosecutors summoned Musk for a voluntary interview over allegations that X facilitated youngster abuse materials and deepfakes.
Durov Claims Regulators Use Children as PR Shield
In a collection of posts, Durov laid out what he described as a sample throughout European governments. He alleged that authorities first strategy platform CEOs with casual agreements to limit content material.
Those who refuse face felony proceedings justified underneath child protection laws.
“When folks push again, say it’s “all for the kids”. “Protecting kids” has change into the usual authorized/PR cowl,” Durov expressed.
Further, Durov argues that youngster security rhetoric exploits parental instincts to bypass vital interested by surveillance and digital rights.
Durov himself was arrested at a Paris airport in August 2024 and indicted on 12 charges, together with alleged complicity in distributing youngster exploitation materials.
His travel ban was lifted in November 2025, although the investigation continues. He lately revealed he faces more than a dozen charges, every carrying up to 10 years in jail.
Musk responded by agreeing with Durov’s criticism. He individually dismissed the French probe into X as a “political assault.”
The US Department of Justice rejected France’s request for help, calling it an effort to “entangle the United States in a politically charged felony continuing.”
The trade adopted UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s April 16 assembly at Downing Street, the place he warned executives from X, Meta, Snap, YouTube, and TikTok that banning kids from their platforms could be “preferable to a world the place hurt is the value” for social media use.
“I do know mother and father are anxious about social media and its affect on their kids’s security. They rightly count on quick motion. Today, I’m calling on senior leaders from X, Meta, Snap, YouTube and TikTok to step up. I’ll do no matter it takes to preserve kids secure on-line,” Starmer articulated.
Whether European regulators are defending kids or consolidating management over digital platforms will possible stay contested as France’s investigation into X and Durov’s ongoing case each advance within the months forward.
The put up Pavel Durov, Elon Musk Accuse EU/UK of Using “Child Safety” to Pressure Social Media CEOs appeared first on BeInCrypto.
