Macron is not the only high-ranking Telegram user: many members of the French elite also actively use the app for encrypted correspondence. Telegram is popular among politicians and media figures, including the French president himself, but this did not save its founder Pavel Durov from arrest.
Politico journalists, citing a former MP, had access to a chat with Macron, where it was noted that the president had been online “recently”.
Macron started using Telegram at the start of his first presidential campaign, and almost ten years later, the app is still in demand among his supporters, as well as officials at various levels and political parties. It is especially popular among pro-Macron circles.
Despite this, French police recently detained the messaging app’s founder Pavel Durov at the airport, prompting criticism from free speech advocates such as Elon Musk and Russian senator Alexei Pushkov. Pushkov on his Telegram channel called France a “liberal dictatorship” that does not tolerate independent voices.
In response, Macron said in a note on Platform X that Durov’s arrest was “not a political step.” He stressed that France remains committed to the principles of freedom of expression, innovation and entrepreneurship.
Macron’s Renaissance party continues to use Telegram to communicate with journalists via a closed channel with 150 media representatives. The president himself also has a public channel with more than 30,000 subscribers where he publishes statements and news.
Already during the 2017 election campaign, French intelligence services warned Macron’s team about the risks associated with using Telegram, recalling that the Russian app could be hacked.
Eric Bothorel, a member of the Renaissance Party and a cybersecurity expert, acknowledged that Telegram continues to be actively used despite repeated warnings. He noted that the messenger’s security level is “medium” and that the French platform Olvid, recommended by the government, offers greater protection.
However, according to Botorel, the habit of using Telegram is strong and many users do not want to lose their chat history and start from scratch.
Earlier, Cursor shared new details about Pavel Durov’s arrest.
