Joe Rogan reacts to Telegram CEO Pavel Durov's arrest on charges of criminal activity on platform: "Should we arrest Google"
Joe Rogan recently reacted to news of Telegram CEO Pavel Durov getting arrested in France. The host of the Joe Rogan Experience podcast (JRE) questioned whether the Telegram platform was being singled out by the authorities and if such a heavy-handed approach was fair.
For context, Telegram is an end-to-end encrypted messaging application that also hosts social networking groups and channels, competing with platforms like WhatsApp and Signal. Since its inception in 2013, Durov has been embroiled in controversy due to the lack of moderation on his platform.
However, the tech billionaire defended it as a safe haven for free speech and privacy.
Last month, Durov was arrested by French authorities as part of their investigation into Telegram's moderation policies. The app allegedly helped criminal users communicate safely and didn't cooperate with law enforcement when used for crimes like drug trafficking, peddling underage sexual content, and fraud.
During an episode of the JRE podcast with ex-CIA officer Mike Baker (#2197), Rogan addressed Durov's arrest and asked why Google wasn't being held accountable when crimes were facilitated via the Gmail application. He said:
"Should we arrest Google because Gmail is used for money laundering and drug sales because it certainly is."
Rogan also reacted to Russia expressing their dismay over Durov's arrest and jokingly noted:
"It’s all about free expression over there in Russia." [H/t: Yahoo! Finance]
Watch the full episode below:
Joe Rogan on Hollywood blackballing people with conservative political opinions
Joe Rogan is among the most well-known media personalities in the world and hosts one of the most popular podcasts in the world. An outspoken speaker, Rogan rarely holds back from expressing his opinions on sensitive issues in the rawest manner.
During an episode of his podcast with Hollywood legend Dennis Quaid (JRE #2189), he slammed Hollywood's attitude toward people with opposing political views and said:
"You know, one of the things that, I said that drove me crazy about Hollywood was there was people that had different opinions about things, but they would never speak out because it could damage their career and it really can. They will f*****g blackball you."
Watch the full clip below: