by Brian Shilhavy
Editor, Health Impact News

Before I start writing about the headline news event from this past weekend where the founder of the Telegram platform was arrested in France, I think it is helpful to first define a term that is being used with almost all of the coverage of this event in the media, which is the term “free speech”.

The term “free speech” is used today, particularly in the mostly “right-wing” alternative media, as if its definition is universally understood.

However, the term “free speech” is anything but understood the same way by everyone who uses it.

The first thing to understand about “free speech” is that in its absolute form, it doesn’t exist.

Absolute and total “free speech” is not allowed by any country of the world today, and every country in the world today has laws that regulate and prohibit total “free speech.”

The most common example given in the English language in western countries, is the example of someone running into a sold-out movie theater and yelling “FIRE!”, which results in a mad rush towards the exits where people trample each other causing deaths and injuries, when in fact, there never was any fire at all.

The person who would have caused such a panic, would be arrested, and their claim to “free speech” would not be upheld in a court of law.

Likewise, lying in public or on a publicly accessible Internet platform where someone lies about another person, or even just gives false information, that results in that person suffering harm, is also illegal according to the laws of slander and libel speech, and the victim can sue the person practicing their “free speech” that caused them harm.

Every country in the world has laws in place to protect people against such “free speech”, as well as what is legally acceptable to publish in terms of images and videos.

In the U.S., for example, as well as in most countries around the world, one does not have “free speech” to publish what is considered “pornography”, or various types of sex crimes. There is no “free speech”, for example, to publish a video of a pedophile raping a baby or young child.

Imagine a world where there was unregulated, total “free speech” such as this.

Sadly, the predominant view of “free speech” in most conservative, “right-wing” communities, is that “free speech” is defined by allowing those who think and believe like they do have unrestricted access to the public to publish their views, while they have no problem if those who don’t agree with them, such as “liberal commies”, are restricted in their speech.

Billionaire Technocrats have figured this out, as they increasingly learn how to manipulate the “Right” and make money off of them.

Elon Musk is the perfect example of this, especially after he purchased Twitter and made it private. Because he reinstated Twitter (now X) accounts from those who were on the “Right” and had previously had their accounts shut down before he bought Twitter, all of these people on the Conservative Right now believe he is a champion of “free speech.”

But I have consistently proven that is not the case at all, and that Musk’s X very frequently takes down posts and squelches “free speech” according to whatever standards they now have as to what is considered “free speech” and what is not. See:

Elon Musk and Twitter/X: The New “Fox News on Steroids” for Social Media and the New Definition of “Free Speech”

It has also been reported that Musk has complied with more foreign government demands for information on Twitter than his predecessors. (Source.)

But it doesn’t matter to the Conservative Right, who only view “free speech” from the perspective that they can say whatever they want on Twitter now, whereas before they could not.

And even in those cases where one of them is censored, they still give Musk a free pass and say it must have happened without his knowledge.

This was the case recently where Naomi Wolf was on the Alex Jones show, and one of her comments on X about that show was deleted.

This was Alex Jones’ response:

Source.

So when they get to say what they want on X, Musk is hailed as a “Champion of Free Speech.” But when he censors them, it’s because he has no control over his employees.

You can’t make this stuff up!

By the way, if you have not seen this yet, Musk was forced by a court of law to reveal who his investors were that helped him purchase Twitter. See:

Elon Musk was just forced to reveal who really owns X. Here’s the list

One of the names on that list that I had not previously known, was Democrat Billionaire Zionist Bill Ackman.

Source.

When it was announced this past weekend that the tech billionaire Pavel Durov, the Telegram founder and CEO, was arrested in France, almost everyone in the alternative media, mainly on the Right, was quick to come to his defense and claim that this was an attack on “free speech”.

This was seen as a political move by France to squelch the speech of all those who had been kicked off social media platforms such as YouTube and found refuge on Telegram.

There has been such an uproar over this arrest, that the President of France even made a statement earlier today (August 26, 2024) stating that his arrest was not politically motivated.

But since Macron is a Rothschild puppet who tends to support “liberal” left-wing issues, nobody seemed to be taking him seriously today.

And while I can sympathize with such sentiments, it is always good to research the actual facts, and look at the other side of this issue.

I, for one, am highly skeptical about the motives and actions of Big Tech Billionaires.

And as we look at the allegations against Durov, while it is true that one of his “crimes” mentioned is not restricting the “dangerous” speech of “far-right” extremists, that is hardly the only charge being made against him.

Here is a report from cybernews.com:

Not only Telegram: Durov’s arrest could change social media for good

As the founder of Telegram, Durov is accused of not cooperating with law enforcement regarding crimes such as child sexual abuse, drug trafficking, and fraud. The investigation reportedly also related to insufficient moderation, with Durov allegedly failing to take steps to limit criminal uses of Telegram.

Naturally, Telegram denies breaking any laws. In a statement posted to the platform, it said that “its moderation is within industry standards and constantly improving” and added, “It is absurd to claim that a platform or its owner is responsible for the abuse of that platform.”

The thing is, this claim is not actually factual. Sure, many industry leaders such as Elon Musk are sounding the alarm over free speech, but Telegram might be the testing ground for European regulators who are pushing to hold platforms responsible for how they moderate their users and content.

The New York Times also reported that the app was on “the radar of law enforcement agencies around the world because terrorist organizations, drug runners, weapons dealers, and far-right extremist groups have used it for communicating, recruiting, and organizing.”

Your Telegram data is not safe, actually

With 900 million monthly active users, Telegram is ranked as one of the major social media platforms after Facebook, YouTube, WhatsApp, Instagram, TikTok, and WeChat.

The app’s growth has been significant in recent years, and its light oversight of what people say or do on the platform has probably helped. Unsurprisingly, to social media leaders allegedly concerned about censorship, Durov’s arrest seems worrying.

Musk, the owner of X who calls himself a “free speech absolutist,” has posted “#FreePavel” on his account, and Ian Miles Cheong, a conservative commentator, argued the arrest was part of a witch hunt.

“This is about silencing dissent and controlling information. They want to turn the internet into another arm of their propaganda machine. We’re watching freedom of speech being attacked right before our eyes,” Cheong posted.

Many Telegram users are worried – at least until the authorities in France disclose more information about Durov’s arrest. Even though the app boasts that it strictly safeguards user data through encryption, many security experts say that Telegram is actually not sufficiently encrypted.

“Telegram has full access to all of the content of group chats and regular one-to-one chats due to lack of end-to-end encryption,” said GrapheneOS, a security and privacy-focused mobile OS.

John Scott-Railton, senior researcher at Citizen Lab at the University of Toronto, added: “Absence of end-to-end encryption across much of the platform means Telegram has the keys, and could technically be compelled to moderate and give governments access to that user activity.”

According to experts, the French authorities could try to force Telegram to share information with them on criminal channels. No wonder these users – most of them have moved to Telegram after other platforms such as Facebook or WhatsApp banned them – are alarmed.

Used by Russian Military

According to Le Monde, a French daily, panic now dominates on pro-war Russian Telegram channels where information about movements at the frontline is exchanged regularly.

Durov has been attempting to distance his platform from its Russian roots – Telegram was created in 2013 – but some experts argue that Telegram might actually be working with Moscow.

Meduza, an independent news outlet operating from Riga, has also reported that instructions have been passed around to the Russian general staff requiring that they stop using the app. The fear is that Durov will give the encryption keys to Western intelligence agencies, especially because he might be cooperating with the French.

Telegram’s relationship with the Kremlin is complex. Russia banned the app in the country in 2018 but lifted the restriction after the company agreed to help the government with “extremism investigations.”

Durov has been attempting to distance his platform from its Russian roots – Telegram was created in 2013 – but some experts argue that Telegram might actually be working with Moscow.

Numerous Russian dissidents have had their accounts compromised since the war on Ukraine began, according to Wired, and Telegram has servers in Dubai – friendly to the Kremlin – and Russia, where the autocratic government can control data transfers. (Full article.)

Many articles in the legacy corporate media are giving a comprehensive report on Durov’s past, which, if accurate, [they] sound very similar to what I have been reporting is the “New Right” defined by Big Tech billionaires like Peter Thiel and Elon Musk.