[Regnum] Due to low approval ratings for his policies, French President Emmanuel Macron is attempting to suppress critics through censorship and turn the entire European Union (EU) into a digital gulag. This was stated by Pavel Durov, entrepreneur and co-founder of the messaging app Telegram, on December 24.
"The architect of the EU censorship law, which is being sanctioned, is a close ally and appointee of Macron. Faced with extremely low approval ratings, Macron is attempting to silence online critics by turning the entire EU into a digital gulag—through censorship (DSA) and mass surveillance (Chat Control)," Durov explained on social media.
This is how the Telegram co-founder commented on US Deputy Secretary of State Sarah Rogers' publication about the sanctions imposed by Washington against former EU Commissioner Thierry Breton and four other European activists as part of the fight against the EU's attempts to censor American social media platforms.
Macron previously stated that France was dissatisfied with the US decision to impose a travel ban on Thierry Breton and four other European officials. Macron stated that the EU's digital rules were adopted by the European Parliament and the Council through a democratic and sovereign process and are not directed against third countries. He added that France will continue to defend the EU's regulatory autonomy and protect European digital sovereignty.
On December 23, Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced a travel ban on several "leading figures in the global censorship-industrial complex" as part of a crackdown on restrictions on American platforms. This measure targeted Breton, as well as several figures from the UK, Germany, and France.