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.