- Multiple French government websites have gone offline in cyberattacks believed to be linked to a Russian hacker group.
- French authorities have come under fire from free speech activists and the crypto community after arresting Telegram founder Pavel Durov.
Multiple French government websites have gone offline in a denial of service (DDoS) attack believed to be linked to a Russian hacker group, according to multiple reports.
The affected websites included the Administrative Court of Paris, the French Health Department’s ansm.sante.fr site, and the Court of Cassation’s page. Bitcoinworld was unable to access the sites at the time of writing and received a warning that connections to the sites were not secure.
• Cyberattacks target multiple French websites, linked to pro-Russian hackers following the arrest of Telegram CEO Pavel Durov in France – [EI] pic.twitter.com/OeQ6jhLfT0
— Entropia Intel (@EntropiaIntel) August 26, 2024
Initial reports from Entropia Intel said the attacks are believed to be a response to the arrest of Telegram founder Pavel Durov in France on Aug. 24.
Macron Claims Arrest Was Not Political
On Aug. 26, French President Emmanuel Macron issued a statement on Durov’s arrest, claiming that it wasn’t political.
Macron reiterated France’s commitment to freedom of speech and freedom of expression, while also stressing that the outcome of Durov’s case would be determined by France’s independent judiciary system and not the political apparatus of the country.
I have seen false information regarding France following the arrest of Pavel Durov.
France is deeply committed to freedom of expression and communication, to innovation, and to the spirit of entrepreneurship. It will remain so.
In a state governed by the rule of law,…
— Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) August 26, 2024
Macron’s statement attracted widespread backlash from the crypto community and free speech activists, with former VanEck director for digital asset strategy Gabor Gurbacs asking: “You arrest the guy then see if he did something wrong? Is this the ‘rule of law’ and ‘freedom of expression’ you are talking about?”
Calls for Durov’s release were widespread and came from industry leaders such as Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin and billionaire industrialist Elon Musk. Following the news of Durov’s detainment, Buterin voiced his concerns:
“I’ve criticized Telegram before for not being serious with encryption, but given the info available so far: the charge seems to be just being “unmoderated” and not giving up people’s data. This looks very bad and worrying for the future of software and comms freedom in Europe.”
You arrest the a guy then see if he did something wrong? Is this the “rule of law” and “freedom of expression” you are taking about?
— Gabor Gurbacs (@gaborgurbacs) August 26, 2024
French prosecutors released an update on Aug. 26 revealing that French law enforcement officials could hold Durov until Aug. 28 for questioning regarding crimes committed by an “unnamed person” allegedly operating on the platform.
At the time of this writing, Durov has not been formally charged with a crime by French officials and has not demonstrated legal wrongdoing.
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