Elon Musk weighs in on Pavel Durov’s claim that French spies tried to censor Telegram during Moldova’s 2024 election. What does it reveal about digital sovereignty?
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| Musk supports Durov’s explosive allegation of French meddling in Moldova’s 2024 election. Image: CH |
Paris, France – September 29, 2025:
As Moldova returned to the polls for parliamentary elections on Sunday, a storm erupted on social media—this time not from voters, but from tech titans.
Elon Musk’s one-word reaction, “Wow,” to a post by Telegram founder Pavel Durov has reignited debate about digital sovereignty, political censorship, and Western intelligence operations targeting online platforms.
Durov alleged that French intelligence attempted to pressure him into censoring several Telegram channels ahead of Moldova’s 2024 presidential election. In exchange, he claimed, they offered to help resolve criminal charges pending against him in France. Though some flagged channels violated platform policies and were removed, Durov insisted others were legitimate voices expressing politically inconvenient views.
“Their actions were unacceptable,” Durov wrote, accusing the agency of using his legal situation to leverage compliance and interfere in the judicial process.
Durov, who holds French citizenship, was arrested in August 2024 at a Paris airport on charges of complicity in crimes linked to Telegram content, including extremism and child exploitation. He was released on €5 million bail and remains under judicial supervision.
France has denied the accusations, but this is not the first time Durov has made such claims. Earlier this year, he alleged that Nicolas Lerner, the head of France’s domestic intelligence agency, had also requested censorship of conservative voices in Romania’s presidential election—a request Durov said he refused.
Musk, known for his outspoken views on free speech, voiced support in May and did so again this week. The exchange between two of the most prominent tech CEOs underscores a growing tension: Are Western democracies now engaging in the same tactics they once condemned—using intelligence agencies to manipulate digital narratives?
The implications of Durov’s claims reach far beyond France or Moldova. They speak to an emerging global pattern where governments, even in democratic societies, increasingly seek to shape public discourse through private platforms—often bypassing judicial oversight or leveraging legal threats.
Moldova’s 2024 presidential election, which saw the re-election of pro-EU President Maia Sandu, was already marred by accusations of diaspora vote manipulation. Durov’s claim that French authorities attempted to suppress dissenting voices adds a new layer to those concerns.
Whether in Moldova, Romania, or elsewhere, these alleged efforts reveal the growing vulnerability of digital platforms to geopolitical agendas. That Durov’s legal case became a bargaining chip is particularly alarming for privacy advocates and platform founders alike.
Elon Musk’s platform, X (formerly Twitter), has itself been embroiled in global debates over censorship and free speech. His public reaction to Durov’s post is not just casual commentary—it’s a signal to the tech industry and to governments: the battle over digital neutrality is far from over.
By amplifying Durov’s claims, Musk is aligning himself with a broader libertarian stance against state overreach in the digital realm—a position that resonates with a growing number of internet users skeptical of both big tech and big government.
As legal cases against tech founders escalate and pressure from intelligence agencies grows, the next phase of the digital age may be defined not by innovation, but by conflict: between state power and platform autonomy.
Durov’s claim—backed, albeit tersely, by Musk—may mark a turning point in how we understand digital interference, and who really controls the platforms where modern politics now plays out.