Elon Musk has voiced what many CEOs are thinking in the aftermath of Telegram CEO Pavel Durov’s arrest, saying he may limit his travel.
Durov was arrested in France when his private jet landed, sparking an intense debate over free speech and the role of internet platforms. French authorities claim Durov and Telegram have failed to cooperate with investigations into illegal content on the platform and failed to properly moderate it. Most alarming, some of the charges involved Durov’s use of encryption, raising concerns that France is using the case to attack the legitimate use of encryption to protect private communications.
Musk has worked hard to establish X as ‘the free speech platform,’ but he says that could cause him to be far more careful about where he travels.
French Prime Minister Emmanuel Macron has pushed back at claims that Durov’s arrest was politically motivated, although not all critics believe him. France has continually pushed for changes to the law that would weaken encryption and undermine privacy. In that context, it’s hard to make the case that Durov’s arrest was not politically motivated, at least to some degree, since it gives French authorities a chance to test the waters, when it comes to a crackdown on internet privacy.
In the meantime, France may find that tech companies and CEOs are far more careful about conducting business within the country, or even visiting it.