The French foreign intelligence service has rejected claims by Telegram founder Pavel Durov that the head of the service asked the tech mogul to block pro-conservative Romanian accounts on the platform ahead of the weekend elections.
"The DGSE categorically rejects the allegations that requests were made to ban accounts related to any electoral process," the General Directorate for External Security (DGSE) said in a statement.
In a post on X, Durov wrote that DGSE chief Nicolas Lerner had asked him in the spring "to ban conservative voices in Romania before the elections," adding: "I refused."
He stated that "Telegram will not restrict the freedom of Romanian users, nor will it block their political channels," with a baguette emoji, alluding to France.
"You cannot defend democracy by destroying it. You cannot 'fight election interference' by interfering in elections. Either you have freedom of speech and fair elections, or you don't. And the Romanian people deserve both," Durov added.
He was born in Russia and is now a French citizen. He was detained in France last year as part of an investigation into crimes related to child pornography and drug trafficking linked to the app.
In March, Durov, who denies any wrongdoing, returned to Dubai. The Telegram app is widely used in Russia, including by authorities and officials, and in Eastern Europe. | BGNES, AFP