Rumble CEO Chris Pavlovsky says he has left Europe after Pavel Durov's arrest
Date: 2024-08-26 Author: Henry Casey Categories: IN WORLD
Rumble, known as a platform that bills itself as "immune to cancel culture," previously blocked access to users in France in November 2022 after the French government demanded the removal of "certain Russian news sources." Rumble has since decided to challenge the demand in court. In May 2023, Pavlovsky also said Russia had blocked access to the platform due to the company's refusal to comply with censorship demands.
Pavlovsky expressed hope for Pavel Durov's immediate release and said Rumble is continuing to fight in the French courts. However, he did not specify which country he had traveled to, and his current location remains unknown.
Rumble is a video platform with more lenient content moderation policies than major social networks like Meta and Google, and it has attracted a significant number of users, especially among conservatives.
Pavel Durov, a French citizen originally from Russia, was arrested on August 24 at Le Bourget airport on a warrant issued by the French judicial police as part of a preliminary investigation. The investigation is reportedly related to allegations that Telegram does not cooperate with law enforcement and does not sufficiently moderate the platform, including crimes related to child pornography, drug trafficking, fraud, and terrorism.
Telegram said it complies with European Union laws and emphasized that the platform’s moderation “meets industry standards and is constantly improving.” The company added that Durov “has nothing to hide” and travels frequently to Europe. Telegram also noted that nearly a billion users use the platform as a source of “important information,” and called it absurd to claim that the platform or its owner is responsible for abuses on it.
The French authorities have not yet made any official statements about Durov's arrest.
