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The Hill: The arrest of Pavel Durov: A geopolitical power play in the Digital Age – by Pari Esfandiari, opinion contributor – 09/05/24 9:45 AM ET
On Aug. 23, French authorities arrested Pavel Durov, the founder and CEO of Telegram, at Le Bourget Airport near Paris. This unexpected event has sent ripples through the tech industry and raised significant questions about the intersection of digital privacy, state power and global geopolitics.
According to French officials, Durov was arrested on a warrant issued by France’s L’office mineurs, an agency responsible for preventing violence against minors. The charges against him include allegations of failing to curb the use of Telegram for criminal activities such as cyberbullying, drug trafficking, organized crime and the promotion of extremism. Telegram, with its encrypted messaging services, has been a platform of choice for various actors, including those involved in illicit activities, which French authorities argue Durov has not adequately addressed.
The geopolitical implications of Durov’s detention cannot be overlooked. Telegram has been a critical tool in several global hotspots, most notably the Ukraine conflict, where it has been used by both military units and civilians for communication and information dissemination. Russia’s immediate response, demanding consular access and criticizing French authorities, underscores the international tensions at play.
Durov, who holds multiple citizenships, including Russian, has long been a thorn in the side of the Russian government due to his refusal to comply with demands for user data from his platform. His detention in a NATO member state like France could be interpreted as part of broader Western efforts to counter Russian influence, particularly in the digital realm.
Speculation also abounds regarding possible involvement of other intelligence agencies, including Israel’s, given its sophisticated cyber capabilities and interest in monitoring or controlling platforms like Telegram, which both allies and adversaries might find useful. Any involvement by Israel, whether through intelligence sharing or cyber operations, would add further complexity to the geopolitical landscape surrounding Durov’s detention.
Durov’s decision to travel to France despite the risks involved also raises questions. Some speculate that it may have been a calculated risk, possibly linked to broader negotiations or a belief that he could resolve legal issues there. The situation is further complicated by the mysterious disappearance of 24-year-old Yuli Vavilova, a Dubai-based crypto-coach from Moscow who was with Durov at the time of his detention. Speculation is rampant, with theories ranging from her involvement in espionage to the possibility of a honey trap orchestrated by intelligence agencies, adding layers of intrigue to the unfolding events.
Durov’s detention comes amidst increasing pressure from European regulators on tech companies to comply with the Digital Services Act, which demands stringent content moderation to prevent the misuse of platforms for illegal purposes. France’s actions suggest a hard-line approach to enforcing these regulations, particularly against companies perceived as not fully cooperating with European standards.
This event serves as a stark reminder of the delicate balance between public safety and individual freedoms, particularly the right to privacy. Telegram is known for its strong encryption and for Durov’s commitment to protecting user data from government intrusion, making it a vital tool for activists, journalists and everyday users who value privacy. But it has also attracted criminals and extremists, who exploit its secure communication features.
One significant concern arising from this situation is the potential for the French government to gain access to Telegram’s databases. Although Telegram is designed to be highly secure, with servers distributed across multiple jurisdictions, Durov’s detention could lead to increased pressure on the company to comply with data access requests.
If French authorities gain access to user data, it could impact millions of users worldwide, particularly those involved in sensitive communications, such as political activists, journalists and government officials who rely on Telegram’s encryption for secure messaging.
This case raises broader concerns about the future of digital privacy and freedom. If governments can hold tech executives personally responsible for their platforms’ users, it may lead to increased self-censorship by companies or even a decline in the availability of secure communication tools. This could have a chilling effect on free speech, especially in authoritarian regimes where platforms like Telegram are essential for organizing dissent.
For the tech industry, this incident signals a new era of accountability, in which CEOs and founders could face legal consequences for their platforms’ failures to comply with local laws. This is particularly significant for companies operating across multiple jurisdictions with varying legal standards. The pressure to adhere to stringent regulations may stifle innovation, especially in sectors like encryption and cybersecurity, where the balance between security and oversight is inherently delicate.
Durov’s detention bears significant similarities to the 2018 apprehension of Meng Wanzhou, the CFO of Huawei, in Canada. Both cases involve high-profile tech industry figures whose detentions have sparked international controversies and raised questions about the motivations behind them. Meng’s detention was widely viewed as part of the U.S.-China trade war, with Huawei at the center of concerns over 5G technology and cybersecurity. Likewise, Durov’s situation can be seen within the context of global power struggles, particularly between Russia and the West, and the role of technology in modern warfare and statecraft.
Both cases illustrate how technology and geopolitics are increasingly intertwined. Meng’s detention had far-reaching consequences for Huawei and China’s global tech ambitions, just as Durov’s could impact Telegram’s operations and the broader tech landscape, especially concerning encrypted communications.
Just as Meng’s case symbolized the escalating tech rivalry between the U.S. and China, Durov’s detention could mark a key moment in the ongoing struggle over digital sovereignty and the future of the internet.
Pari Esfandiari is the co-founder and president at the Global TechnoPolitics Forum, a member of the at-large advisory committee at ICANN representing the European region, and a member of APCO Worldwide’s advisory board.
Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Atlantic.
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New York City’s police commissioner stepped down Thursday amid separate federal corruption investigations targeting Mayor Eric Adams and his top aides.
Edward Caban, the first Latino to run the New York Police Department, was asked to resign on Monday, the New York Times and other outlets reported.
In an email to the officers he led, Caban wrote that “the news around recent developments has created a distraction for our department, and I am unwilling to let my attention be on anything other than our important work, or the safety of the men and women of the NYPD.”
“I hold immense respect and gratitude for the brave officers who serve this department, and the NYPD deserves someone who can solely focus on protecting and serving New York City, which is why – for the good of this city and this department – I have made the difficult decision to resign as Police Commissioner,” he said.
More:Feds raid homes of NYC mayor’s top aides, including the city’s police commissioner
Adams named a retired FBI veteran, Tom Donlon, as interim police commissioner. Donlon formerly led New York state’s homeland security office and was chief of the FBI’s National Threat Center.
“This is the first police commissioner to resign over a corruption probe since the 1970s,” Wilbur Chapman, a former New York deputy police commissioner, told USA TODAY. “It creates a challenge for the police rank and file to restore the confidence of the people they protect.”
On Sept. 5, investigators from the U.S. attorney’s office in Manhattan seized Caban’s mobile phones as part of an investigation of what local media reported was possible protection of local nightclubs from enforcement actions. The electronic devices of lower level police commanders and supervisors were also seized.
Caban is among several top Adams aides and confidantes who received federal search warrants earlier this month. They include Deputy Mayor for Criminal Justice Philip Banks III, First Deputy Mayor Sheena Wright, and Schools Chancellor David Banks.
More:NYC Mayor Eric Adams baptized by the Rev. Al Sharpton at Rikers Island
Philip Banks, a former top police official, was named as an unindicted co-conspirator in an earlier bribery scandal at the NYPD. David Banks, the city’s schools’ chief, is his brother, and Wright is David Banks’ live-in partner. Investigators also seized the devices of a third Banks brother, Terrence Banks, who runs a government consultancy, and of Timothy Pearson, a retired police inspector who is a close confidant of the mayor’s.
“Based on what I have seen, I do not believe that Mr. Banks has any criminal liability − period,” said Benjamin Brafman, a lawyer for Philip Banks. An attorney for Terrence Banks didn’t immediately return a call for comment.
In an interview with WNYC, Schools Chancellor David Banks acknowledged that federal agents had searched the home he shares with Deputy Mayor Wright. “I have been told by my lawyers that I’m absolutely not a target in this investigation,” he told host Brian Lehrer, “and I’m going to do everthing I can to cooperate with the investigation.”
No one in the mayor’s circle has been charged with wrongdoing.
Earlier this year, investigators seized the mayor’s electronic devices, apparently in the course of an ongoing investigation of illegal Turkish funding for his 2021 mayoral campaign.
Caban was first appointed in July 2023 following the resignation of his predecessor, Keechant Sewell, who served 18 months before leaving the department.
In a statement, acting Police Commissioner Donlan said he would work to “continue the historic progress decreasing crime and removing illegal guns from our communities, uphold the highest standards of integrity and transparency, and support our dedicated officers who put their lives on the line every day to keep us safe.”
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Adams taps ex-FBI official Tom Donlon as interim police commissioner after Caban resignation
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Tom Donlon, a prominent former FBI and counterterrorism official, will serve as the NYPD’s interim commissioner, Mayor Eric Adams announced Thursday.
The appointment came after Adams said he accepted the resignation of embattled Commissioner Edward Caban, who stepped down amid a federal probe that saw agents seize electronic devices from his home in a stunning raid last week.
“I’m taking immediate action in appointing Tom Donlon as interim police commissioner,” Adams said in a video address.
“Tom is an experienced law enforcement professional who has worked at the local, state, federal and international levels.”
Donlon, a Bronx native, served as New York’s director of the Office of Homeland Security, ran the FBI’s National Threat Assessment Center and the FBI-NYPD Joint Terrorism Task Force.
He also worked as the cold-case agent investigating the 1993 Twin Towers bombing, as well as the attacks on US embassies in Africa and the USS Cole in Yemen by al Qaeda.
After stints at Credit Suisse and Blackrock, Donlon founded Global Security Resolutions, a New York City-based company that provides security, protection and investigative work.
Donlon’s time with New York’s Office of Homeland Security during the 2000s brought him into contact with Adams, who then served on the state Senate’s homeland security committee.
“I am honored and humbled to be named interim-Commissioner of the New York City Police Department, the greatest law enforcement agency in the world,” Donlon said in a statement.
“My goals are clear: continue the historic progress decreasing crime and removing illegal guns from our communities, uphold the highest standards of integrity and transparency, and support our dedicated officers who put their lives on the line every day to keep us safe,” he added. “I want to thank outgoing Commissioner Caban for his service to this department throughout his more than 30-year career and I look forward to building on the progress this administration has made keeping New York City the safest big city in America.”
Additional reporting by Larry Celona
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Michael_Novakhov shared this story from  EADaily:все новости.
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The detention of Telegram founder Pavel Durov forced him to start cooperating with the French security forces and provide them with information that can help identify suspected users of his messenger. This is reported by the newspaper Libération.
According to the publication, until recently Pavel Durov’s company ignored requests from French law enforcement agencies, but now Telegram has changed its strategy and started “unprecedented cooperation” on all requests.
Telegram has responded to requests from the Office of Juvenile Affairs (Ofmin) of the French National Police and Gendarmerie during several criminal investigations, providing data that can identify suspects. In particular, we are talking about crimes against children.
“The door is really opening,” Joanna Brousse, head of the J3 cybercrime department of the Paris Prosecutor’s Office, confirmed to Libération.
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According to the newspaper, it is recommended that all French security forces resume investigations that were suspended due to the inability to obtain information from Telegram.
As EADaily reported, Durov was detained on August 24 at Le Bourget airport when he got off his private plane. He was accused of deliberately not moderating illegal content in the messenger. The founder of Telegram was “shocked by the arrest,” since the messenger had a communication channel with the General Directorate of Internal Security of France (DGSI, counterintelligence), Libération wrote earlier, citing a source. The founder of the messenger is being interrogated in Paris said that he maintained contacts with its representatives, in particular, met with them in Dubai.
Earlier, Paris prosecutor Laura Becky stated on RTL radio that Pavel Durov cooperates with the French judicial authorities and fully complies with the control conditions established after the charges were brought against him.
On September 6, Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council Dmitry Medvedev said that Durov could, under certain conditions, transfer encryption keys to the French special services, although he did not want to do so.
The official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova, noted that Russian diplomats in Paris were doing everything necessary in the situation with Durov’s detention, consular access was requested.
Recall that Durov holds passports of several countries, including France, Russia and the UAE.
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Основатель мессенджера Telegram Павел Дуров наладил связь с французскими правоохранительными органами и начал передавать им информацию, на основании которой можно установить личности пользователей Telegram, сообщила в четверг, 12 сентября, французская газета Libération. По ее данным, еще недавно Дуров игнорировал запросы силовиков, но сейчас Telegram ведет “беспрецедентное сотрудничество” с ними и отвечает на запросы.
“Дверь действительно открывается”, – такими словами подтвердила газете начало сотрудничества руководитель отдела киберпреступности прокуратуры Парижа Джоанна Брусс. По данным Libération, по этому случаю всем силовикам Франции рекомендовали возобновить расследования, приостановленные из-за невозможности получить информацию от Telegram.
Так, менеджмент мессенджера уже отреагировал на запросы Управления по делам несовершеннолетних (Ofmin) французской нацполиции и жандармерии по нескольким уголовным расследованиям, предоставив данные, которые могут помочь установить личности подозреваемых, в том числе в преступлениях против детей, отмечает Libération.
Дело Павла Дурова
39-летнего Павла Дурова задержали 24 августа в аэропорту Ле-Бурже, когда он вышел из своего частного самолета. Его обвинили в намеренном отсутствии модерации незаконного контента в мессенджере. Основатель Telegram был “шокирован арестом”, поскольку у мессенджера имелся канал связи с французской контрразведкой, писала Libération ранее.
28 августа Дурова освободили из-под стражи в Париже под залог в 5 млн евро. Ему запретили покидать Францию, обязав дважды в неделю отмечаться в полиции. В отношении него ведется расследование по подозрению в совершении нескольких преступлений. Среди них – управление платформой, на которой осуществляется противоправная деятельность, отказ предоставлять информацию по запросу властей, соучастие в отмывании денег, совершении сексуальных преступлений в отношении детей, незаконном обороте наркотиков и мошенничестве.
Гражданство Франции по особой процедуре
В 2021 году Павел Дуров получил гражданство по особой процедуре – в качестве “почетного иностранца”, который “способствует влиянию Франции”. Эмманюэль Макрон во время визита в Сербию 29 августа опроверг информацию “о каком-либо приглашении” Дурова в Париж. В то же время он подчеркнул, что считает “абсолютно допустимым” предоставление бизнесмену французского гражданства.
Основатель Telegram на допросе со следователями утверждал, что пользуется защитой президента Макрона, а также представителей Главного управления внутренней безопасности Франции, сообщала тогда Libération.
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New York City Police Commissioner Edward Caban has resigned days after federal agents raided his home, his brother’s and other city officials and seized their electronic devices.
In a resignation letter shared with Fox News, Caban wrote that rank and file officers deserved leadership without distractions.
“I hold immense respect and gratitude for the brave officers who serve this department, and the NYPD deserves someone who can solely focus on protecting and serving New York City, which is why – for the good of this city and this department – I have made the difficult decision to resign as Police Commissioner,” he wrote.
NYPD COMMISSIONER’S BROTHER IS EX-COP BRING PROBED AS ALLEGED ‘FIXER’ FOR NYC CLUBS: REPORT
New York City Police Department (NYPD) Commissioner Edward Caban speaks at a press conference while holding up chains and a lock removed by officers during their operation to clear protesters from Columbia University, where a building occupation and protest encampment had been set up in support of Palestinians, during the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, in New York City, U.S., May 1, 2024. (REUTERS/Mike Segar)
Sources told Fox News Digital that Caban’s twin brother, James, was also under investigation in connection with his nightlife consulting business.
Rumors of a pending resignation have swirled for days in connection with the probe.
Big Apple Mayor Eric Adams told reporters little Tuesday in response to repeated questions about Caban’s fitness for the job or whether he should resign, but said he had full confidence in the NYPD as a whole.
James Caban poses in front of the New York City skyline. (James Caban/Facebook)
“What’s important to me, and the reason I keep saying NYPD, because Commissioner Caban is part of a team there, and an entire team has to function,” he said. “One person does not determine the success of the New York City Police Department.”
The New York Post reported Wednesday that one of Caban’s top aides has suspected ties to the Chinese Communist Party and worked for a group that spreads Chinese propaganda in the United States. It’s the latest in a string of China-linked officials in New York politics.
Mayor Eric Adams, right, is flanked by deputy mayor Sheena Wright, left, during a press conference at City Hall in New York, Dec. 12, 2023. (AP Photo/Peter K. Afriyie)
Last month, prosecutors secured an indictment for Linda Sun, a former top aide to New York Gov. Kathy Hochul who is accused of being a Communist agent, visa fraud, alien smuggling and money laundering.
Winnie Greco, another Adams aide, was also raided in connection with a campaign fundraising investigation.
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NYPD Commissioner Edward A. Caban has resigned amid federal probe. (Lev Radin/Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images)
Adams appointed Caban as the NYPD’s first Hispanic commissioner last July.
Last year, federal agents seized Adams’ devices as he was leaving an event in Manhattan and raided the home of one of his top fundraisers. Adams has denied any wrongdoing, but confirmed last month he had received a subpoena from federal prosecutors and said he and his team are cooperating.
Fox News’ Landon Mion and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
