PANews reported on August 27 that according to Politico, French cabinet members, presidential advisers and even President Macron himself widely use the encrypted communication application Telegram - even after Telegram founder Pavel Durov was arrested in France on suspicion of child pornography, drug trafficking and money laundering, Macron is still using the application. Macron has been a Telegram user since the early days of his first presidential campaign. Nearly a decade later, the application is still widely used by cabinet members and political officials at all levels and parties, especially in pro-Macron circles.
French security services have tried to limit Telegram use in official circles for reasons of confidentiality. But Macron’s own party, Ennahda, still uses a Telegram channel to send public communications to journalists via a private channel that includes 150 members of the press, as does the French Interior Ministry and the National Assembly. Macron also has a public channel where he shares statements and breaking news with more than 30,000 subscribers, as does the French president.
