August 25, 2024 – Vindman praises Telegram CEO Pavel Durov’s arrest in France and tweets warning to Elon Musk

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Alexander Vindman testifies before a House Intelligence Committee hearing as part of the impeachment inquiry into President Trump, November 19, 2019. (Credit: Jonathan Ernst, Reuters)

Retired Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, who played a prominent role in the first impeachment trial of former President Donald Trump, recently issued a stark warning to Elon Musk following the arrest of Telegram CEO Pavel Durov in France.

The arrest, which took place in Paris over the weekend, has sparked significant controversy and raised concerns about the future of free speech on social media platforms, as reported by Fox News.

Durov was apprehended after a preliminary investigation suggested that Telegram had not done enough to curb criminal activity on its platform, according to reports from TF1 TV and BFM TV.

The app, known for its encrypted messaging service, has over 900 million users worldwide and has been criticized for being used by criminal organizations and extremist groups to communicate and organize.

Vindman, taking to X (formerly Twitter), quickly applauded the French authorities’ actions, but his remarks went further, suggesting that Elon Musk might be the next target of such accountability.

“While Durov holds French citizenship and was arrested for violating French law, this has broader implications for other social media, including Twitter,” Vindman wrote. “There’s a growing intolerance for platforming disinfo & malign influence & a growing appetite for accountability. Musk should be nervous.”

Musk, in his typical fashion, didn’t shy away from the controversy.

He used his platform on X to criticize Durov’s arrest, sharing the hashtag #FreePavel and expressing his concerns about government censorship. “Dangerous times,” Musk remarked, highlighting the growing tension between tech giants and government regulations.

(Read more: RVM News, 8/26/2024) (Archive)