Telegram is More French Than You Thought

Telegram is more French than you thought

The arrest of Pavel Durov, the manager and owner of Telegram, was extremely intriguing news for Iranians and people in countries where this social network is highly popular. With nearly a billion users, this social network has always been overshadowed by Meta’s social networks and the former Twitter platform, and it has not been particularly familiar to Americans.

Media, celebrities, politicians, parties, and both large and small companies tested their position on Telegram, but it did not boost their market.

Naturally, specific groups like extremists and racists, right-wing parties, banned structures and groups, and suspicious groups with black market trades find Telegram a much more suitable space compared to other platforms, and this particular segment of Americans has been more inclined towards Telegram.

The troubles for Meta platforms have been increasing in many countries. Countries lacking advanced democracy do not get along with WhatsApp in their attempts to limit civic interaction and freedom of expression, and Instagram and Facebook have been under pressure from authorities due to the spread of unethical content for children and adolescents and false and misleading information. The new European Union regulations for social networks will make things difficult for all platforms in this union.

In America, efforts to limit and regulate social networks continue, and the proposal by senators from both parties to create age restrictions on the use of social networks, which has faced the lobbying wall of these companies, is not unlikely to be approved. However, the story of Telegram is different. There are many countries where Telegram has peaked. We Iranians already know Russians and Ukrainians as important users of this platform, and its prevalence in these countries might seem obvious to us.

Zelensky has practically been living on Telegram for years, but it’s hard to believe if you know that one of the relatively enthusiastic users of Telegram is the President of France. He has been active on Telegram since the early days of his presidency, and an image of his account, which recorded his recent presence, became very intriguing amid Durov’s arrest. French officials widely use Telegram.

Requests to limit the use of Telegram and WhatsApp, which even led to the former Prime Minister of Macron’s government ordering ministers to stop using it, have had no effect. Telegram still has a relatively high audience and user base in France, and although it does not have the power and influence of TikTok and Instagram, it has not lost its position.

Macron has an official channel with 30,000 followers. The French presidency also has an official channel that operates separately on Telegram. Since 2017 and the presidential elections of that year, security officials have warned Macron’s campaign about the dangers of using Telegram, but these warnings have had no impact on Macron, his campaign, and his government’s use of Telegram. Given the type of accusations announced against Durov, the tension and confrontation between freedom of expression and protecting society from the dangers arising from the lack of oversight on social networks will be more prominent than before.

Elon Musk and his allies have supported Durov, and it is natural that they are worried about the day when he might have to comply with the demands of regulatory and supervisory bodies of countries to establish oversight structures over the circulating content on Telegram. That day might mark the beginning of a new trend in the management of social networks.