Gab CEO Blames Israel For Arrest Of Telegram CEO

August 27, 2024 Extremists, Social Media

Via email from Gab CEO Andrew Torba:

Over the weekend Pavel Durov the CEO of Telegram, a chat messaging app, was arrested. Durov’s detention at Bourget airport in France on August 24, 2024, marks a significant escalation in the ongoing battle between governments and tech platforms over content moderation and free speech.

His arrest follows just weeks after one million hacked files from the Israeli government were circulating on Telegram. The group behind the released documents, DDoSecrets, was banned on Telegram shortly after their release. These documents revealed that the Israeli government sought legal advice on how to avoid registering under the US Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA), which requires the disclosure of foreign-backed lobbying campaigns.

The documents also show that Israeli officials proposed creating a new American nonprofit to continue their activities in the US while avoiding scrutiny under the law. Durov is notorious for his defense of user privacy and is known to denying government requests for access to user data. One has to wonder if these two events are connected.

Pavel’s arrest hits close to home for me. I haven’t traveled outside the United States in six years on advice of counsel for this reason. To date Gab has refused to work with a single foreign government when it comes to requests for user data or censorship of “hate speech.” For example I have large fines over my head in Germany for refusing to abide by their censorship and data requests. These requests are always tyrannical and ridiculous.

Read the full rant.

Torba is a self-proclaimed Christian nationalist and open anti-Semite. As you may recall, dozens of Capitol rioters were identified through their posts on Gab.



Tags

© joemygod.com 2025