France’s foreign intelligence service issued a forceful denial Monday following allegations by Telegram founder Pavel Durov that its director had pressured him to suppress conservative Romanian accounts ahead of the country’s recent presidential election.

“The DGSE strongly refutes allegations that requests to ban accounts linked to any electoral process were made on these occasions,” the Directorate General for External Security said in a statement responding to Durov’s claims.

Durov claims pressure during hotel meeting

The controversy erupted Sunday night when Durov, who is currently under judicial supervision in France, posted on X that DGSE chief Nicolas Lerner had approached him earlier this year at Paris’s luxury Crillon hotel.

“This spring at the Salon des Batailles in the Hôtel de Crillon, Nicolas Lerner, head of French intelligence, asked me to ban conservative voices in Romania ahead of elections. I refused,” Durov wrote. “We didn’t block protesters in Russia, Belarus, or Iran. We won’t start doing it in Europe.”

The accusation comes in the wake of Romania’s presidential election on Sunday, where centrist Bucharest mayor Nicusor Dan defeated nationalist candidate George Simion in what observers described as a surprise upset. Simion had campaigned on a platform inspired by U.S. President Donald Trump’s politics.

Intelligence agency acknowledges meetings but disputes claims

While acknowledging that its officials had met with Durov “various times over the years,” the DGSE maintained these discussions were focused on “firmly reminding him of his company’s responsibilities, and his own personally, in preventing terrorist and child pornography threats.”

The Russian-born tech mogul remains under formal investigation in France for alleged organized crime activities on the Telegram platform.

Musk amplifies controversy amid broader tensions

Durov’s allegations quickly gained traction when U.S. billionaire Elon Musk shared the post with his millions of followers, adding a one-word comment: “Wow.” Musk himself is currently under investigation by French prosecutors over alleged algorithmic bias on X.

The French foreign ministry also denied any interference in Romanian politics, calling on all parties to “exercise responsibility and respect for Romanian democracy.”

The controversy highlights growing tensions between tech platforms and European governments over content moderation and free speech. Durov had earlier signaled his refusal to restrict Romanian users, posting, “Telegram will not restrict the freedoms of Romanian users or block their political channels,” alongside a baguette emoji seemingly implicating France.

Romania’s election outcome was welcomed by centrist policymakers in Brussels, where concerns have grown about rising far-right sentiment potentially undermining European unity, particularly regarding Russia policy.

May 19, 2025 12:35 PM GMT+03:00