The incident happened several years ago, but it really stuck with the experiencer just because of how strange it was, an encounter with an unknown humanoid."This incident happened several years ago, but it really stuck with me just because of how strange it was. I'm hoping this is the proper place to put it, as my encounter was with a humanoid being.Anyway, I was heading out of my house at around 6 am. It was summer, so I took my walks at sunrise to avoid the daytime heat. I had done this many times and had my walk down to a science. Just my muscle memory could get me through.So, shortly after leaving my home, I'm heading up this road toward the highway. I lived behind a school, so I was very aware of the roads and vehicles, even if I was distracted by something else. Which I was. As I walked down this road, I was going through playlists on my MP3 player. I was almost right on the first intersecting road by the time I found what I wanted to listen to and looked up.Everything was normal, and there were no cars to be seen, which made sense as it was a Saturday morning. So, I continued up toward the highway where there was a sidewalk.But about three intersections from the highway, I noticed a shadow on the School Zone sign ahead of me. Figuring it was mine, I just kept walking. I was only two intersections away when a disturbing thought hit me. I was walking east. There was no way that shadow belonged to me, and since there was absolutely no one around, there was no way on Earth that that shadow was really a shadow.As if it could read my thoughts and sudden fear, a figure stepped out into the intersection right behind the school. And the only thing I can figure it was was a Grey alien. It had all the features: spindly limbs, an enormous head, gigantic black eyes, and barely a nose, ears, or lips to speak of.For anyone else, this would have been time to panic and run, but my military training kicked in. I didn't know what it was. I didn't know what it wanted. But I knew it had no place this close to my home and my children.So, I charged at it, hoping at the very least to run it off, or better still, find some way to capture it. Of course, under both of those desires, I wanted to kill it. To this day, I don't know why I wanted to kill it. Maybe it was part of my training that had stuck into my brain, or maybe it was because this being was undoubtedly a threat, at least in my mind. I don't think aliens come all the way to our neck of the intergalactic woods just to hide behind signs. Something was going on here, and I had to fix it.The next thing I know, I'm standing at the intersection. The creature was gone. Naturally, I was confused. The sun was higher than it should have been, and a quick glance at my MP3 player showed that I'd missed at least ten songs. By my best guess, I was missing nearly half an hour. Now, scared and disoriented, I turned back and walked home. It was already getting hot, and heatstroke was not going to help me sort out everything that had just happened.I haven't told this story to anyone other than my parents and a single friend. We all agree that this was something strange and that whatever it was, it was definitely not right. Even now, years later, I wonder what I really saw. Was it really an alien? Did I honestly try to capture and kill an actual extraterrestrial? I don't have those answers. And that scares me.But one thing is, I don't think I got abducted. I don't have weird dreams, and I couldn't find any mysterious marks anywhere on my body. The only thing that I can't explain is a painful feeling in my upper left arm. It feels like there is something in there, but X-rays have shown nothing. Could it be that I was tagged by this creature the same way we tag animals for study? Another question I can't answer, and that scares the daylights out of me. This pain has not gone away, but I have become accustomed to it. Maybe one day, I'll be able to get better scans of my arm and see if maybe a different machine could see what the X-rays couldn't." P**********PHANTOMS & MONSTERS VIDEO LIBRARYPOLL: WHAT DO YOU THINK? Vote & comment on paranormal, cryptid & unexplained mysteries!REPTOIDS - TERRESTRIAL MUTANTS & ALIEN TYRANTS | LIVE CHAT | Q & A (TERRIBLE REAL-LIFE EXPERIENCES)LISTEN TO NARRATIONS OF PHANTOMS & MONSTERS REPORTS & CASES - PLEASE SUBSCRIBE, LIKE & SHAREPHANTOMS & MONSTERS RADIO Podcasts on SpotifyPHANTOMS & MONSTERS READING LISTCHICAGO MOTHMAN / O'HARE BATMAN YouTube PlaylistHave you had a sighting or encounter?Contact me by email or call the hotline at 410-241-5974Thanks. LonJOIN AMAZON PRIME - Unlimited Movie/TV Streaming& FREE 2-Day ShippingRegister a SNAP EBT CardTry Audible PlusBigfoot and Other Cryptid Videos on YouTubeLYCANS! - PENNSYLVANIA'S CRYPTID CANINES UPDATE'KILLER BIGFOOT' HUNTED BY U.S. SPECIAL FORCES / GLIMMER MAN / MANTIS HUMANOIDSCRAWLER HUMANOIDS - GRUESOME INVADERS! (REAL EYEWITNESS ENCOUNTERS!)WEREWOLVES: DO THEY EXIST?'DOGMAN IN OUR YARD!' - AN OHIO FAMILY'S 12-YEAR SAGA WITH CRYPTID CANINESHey, folks. Thanks for the congrats on 'The Mothman Revisited' episode on Unsolved Mysteries. As a result, we are receiving more sighting reports and are very excited and grateful for the new information!I sincerely thank the Unsolved Mysteries team and Netflix for allowing us to tell the world about this phenomenon.If you have information about this or any other cryptid or unexplained sighting or encounter, please feel free to contact me by email or at 410-241-5974. Thanks again! LonCHICAGO MOTHMAN / O'HARE BATMAN YouTube PlaylistChicago / Lake Michigan Winged Humanoid Regional Interactive Map----------Become a Phantoms & Monsters Radio member - just $2.99 monthly, and receive these perks. Thanks for your support!-Members-only live chats-Exclusive members-only videos-Priority reply to members' commentsHave perks suggestions? LMK-----YOUR SUPPORT IS APPRECIATED! THANKS

News affection Happy Death Day & Mindhunter Actors Join Sci-Fi Horror Film, Affection The Happy Death Day star finds herself in a movie with a related premise… By Vanessa Armstrong | Published on August 26, 2024 Screenshot: Universal/Blumhouse Comment 0 Share New Share Screenshot: Universal/Blumhouse MT Meza’s debut film, the sci-fi horror thriller Affection, is gathering up its cast. According to Deadline, Jessica Rothe (pictured above), who starred in the indie horror films Happy Death Day and Happy Death Day 2U, has joined the production. Joseph Cross (Lincoln, Mindhunter, Big Little Lies) has also joined in a starring role, and the young Julianna Layne (Prodigal Son, A Christmas Story Christmas) is part of the cast as well. Here’s a synopsis of the film, per Deadline: The film follows Ellie (Rothe), who is stuck in a cyclical nightmare. Grappling with a condition that erratically resets her memory, she’s left unable to remember her husband (Cross) or daughter (Layne). Each reset leaves her disoriented and haunted with vivid memories of a life she’s never lived. It’s interesting that Rothe is once again in a version of a looped story—the premise of the Happy Death Day films is that her character relives the same day (her birthday) over and over as she tries to figure out who keeps murdering her. In Affection, it seems like her character’s challenges fall in the realm of Memento, in that she can’t remember her recent past once her memory is erased and has to potentially “relive” things over again. The film is produced by Meza, along with Austin Walk and Bay Dariz via their company Hypochondriac, as well as JP Ouellette at Mass. Executive producers include Christian Henderson and Christy Walker. The project is still in its pre-production days, so no news yet on when it will make its way to a screen near you. [end-mark] The post <i>Happy Death Day</i> & <i>Mindhunter</i> Actors Join Sci-Fi Horror Film, <i>Affection</i> appeared first on Reactor.

News Outlander Diana Gabaldon Confirms Outlander Show Will End Differently Than Books There simply aren’t enough seasons (or episodes) left to adapt all of the books in the series. By Vanessa Armstrong | Published on August 26, 2024 Credit: Starz Comment 0 Share New Share Credit: Starz While the second half of Outlander’s seventh season is set to premiere on Starz in a couple of months, we know that the end of the series is in sight. The show has already been greenlit for an eighth season, and with that renewal came the news that Outlander would hang up its kilt after those episodes. Readers of Gabaldon’s books, however, know that there are nine books already published, with the author currently working on the tenth installment of the series. On her Facebook page in the comments section for a post giving an excerpt from the tenth book (via RadioTimes), she shared that season seven roughly ends with the events in her seventh book, An Echo in the Bone. That still leaves three books that the show hasn’t covered—Written in my Own Heart’s Blood, Go Tell the Bees that I Am Gone, and Book Ten, which Gabaldon is currently working on—and only ten episodes to cover them all. “It really won’t resemble the end of the book series,” she wrote, later adding, “in normal circumstances—one book per season—they can fit roughly 10% of the book’s content into the show. How much of the (VERY roughly speaking) 1,200,000 words of those three books do you think they can get into ten hours of television? Obviously, they’re going to have to cherry-pick some prime scenes/threads to film, and try to fit them into a framework that makes sense for one season, and that they can bring to a reasonably satisfactory conclusion.” In the same vein, Gabaldon said in response to another comment that “there won’t be that much of Book Ten in the final episode of the show,” not surprising given that she’s currently writing it, though she did give the showrunners a synopsis and pieces of dialogue. We’ll eventually be able to see what the showrunners do with Gabaldon’s source material. The remainder of season seven premieres on Starz on November 22, 2024. No news yet on when season eight will make its way to the network. [end-mark] The post Diana Gabaldon Confirms <i>Outlander</i> Show Will End Differently Than Books appeared first on Reactor.

Ignorance is bliss. It’s also Vice President Kamala Harris’ secret weapon. The American people can make wise voting decisions, but only when they have quite enough information to do so. Alas, an Aug. 14 Media Research Center survey confirms that most 2020 Biden-Harris voters know shockingly little about her far-left record. Staggering majorities of the 800 registered Democrats and 400 independents in McLaughlin & Associates’ poll were stunningly unfamiliar with Harris’ neo-Marxist words and deeds. Last week’s Democratic National Convention taught her voters far more about Harris’ passion for cooking than about her extremist statements and actions: Harris would consider enfranchising death row inmates. Don Lemon asked her at an April 22, 2019, CNN town hall if imprisoned felons “like the Boston Marathon bomber, on death row, people who are convicted of sexual assault, they should be allowed to vote?” Rather than laugh at this concept, Harris said: “I think we should have that conversation.” Among those surveyed, 86% were unaware or unsure of her views on turning every death row into a voting precinct. Then-Sen. Kamala Harris, D–Calif., approved banning private health insurance: Harris advocated Medicare for All, a British-style socialized medicine program. When NBC’s Lester Holt asked Democratic presidential contenders, “Who here would abolish their private health insurance in favor of a government-run plan?” Harris raised her hand. Of those polled, 81% were unacquainted with Harris’ desire to junk their private medical policies. Harris promoted freedom for violent protesters during the summer of 2020’s George Floyd riots. She urged supporters via Facebook and Twitter to “chip in” donations for the Minnesota Freedom Fund. MFF bailed out rioters. Some then attacked and killed people. That was news to 78% of those polled.  Some 71% were astonished that Harris backed defunding the police. She told Nick Cannon of Power 106-FM in Los Angeles: “We have to redirect resources” from law enforcement to schools and small businesses. “For too long, people have confused achieving public safety with putting more cops on the street.” Harris suggested abolishing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. On June 24, 2018, MSNBC’s Kasie Hunt asked if she agreed with a supporter’s “Abolish U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement” placard. Harris said, “We’ve got to critically reexamine U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement,” and added, “we need to probably think about starting from scratch.” That surprised 77% of Biden-Harris voters. In 2019, GovTrack ranked Harris the most liberal/least conservative U.S. senator—left of socialist Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt. GovTrack gave her a 0.00% conservative rating and Sanders a slightly more right-wing 0.02%. GovTrack self-censored its scorecard, but Internet Archives’ priceless Wayback Machine preserved it. Among participants, 75% were new to Harris as the Senate’s No. 1 leftist. Her cosponsorship of the uberliberal Green New Deal escaped 73% of respondents. Harris disagrees that illegal aliens who invade America are criminals. “I know what a criminal looks like who’s committing a crime,” she told CBS News. “An undocumented immigrant is not a criminal.” Of those asked, 74% had not heard her statement. So, why do so many know so little about so much of Harris’ record? The Media Research Center’s subjects chiefly rely on broadcast and cable TV news. The MRC says that its “examination of ABC, CBS, and NBC evening news coverage in the three weeks since Harris became the leading Democratic candidate (July 21 to Aug. 10) shows eight of these 10 issues received ZERO attention from these newscasts, while two others received only minor coverage.” That’s right: Zero airtime—positive, negative, or neutral—on eight of the Democrat presidential nominee’s highly relevant positions. Two other policies earned cursory coverage: Harris endorsed slavery reparations and briefly visited the U.S.-Mexico border—once. This is media malpractice. Conservatives must use rallies, speeches, broadcast and digital ads, print, social media, emails, text messages, billboards, one-on-one discussions, dormitory debates, smoke signals, and carrier pigeons to educate Democrats and independents on what they do not know about Harris, starting with these 10 frightening facts. Ignorance is bliss, but the truth will set America free. We publish a variety of perspectives. Nothing written here is to be construed as representing the views of The Daily Signal. The post What Harris’ Voters Don’t Know About Her Could Hurt America appeared first on The Daily Signal.

Many on the Left suggest that concerns about illegal aliens casting votes in a presidential election are unfounded. After all, illegal aliens can’t legally vote. Yet a new poll suggests that most Americans expect that illegals will be allowed to vote in the Nov. 5 election. When asked, “How likely is it that a large number of illegal immigrants will be allowed to vote in this year’s elections?” more than half of respondents (56%) said it is “very likely” (27%) or “somewhat likely” (27%). About a third (36%) said it is “somewhat likely” (17%) or “not very likely” (19%), while one in 10 said they weren’t sure. Most self-identified Republicans (79%) said it was “somewhat likely” (36%) or “very likely” (43%) that illegal aliens would be allowed to vote, but even a sizable number of Democrats (30%) agreed, saying it is “somewhat likely” (19%) or “very likely” (11%). More than half of independents (53%) said it was “somewhat likely” (24%) or “very likely” (29%). The vast majority of respondents (75%) said they either “strongly oppose” (60%) or “somewhat oppose” (15%) “allowing people who are not U.S. citizens to vote in elections for the president and members of Congress.” About a fifth (19%) of respondents said they “strongly favor” (8%) or “somewhat favor” (11%) allowing noncitizens to vote. Self-identified Democrats proved most likely to support noncitizen voting, although only 25% of them said they did. Independents proved least likely to support it, at 84%. Self-identified Republicans also opposed it, at 82%. A recent study from Just Facts estimates that 10%-27% of noncitizens are registered to vote, and based on previous elections and federal data, at least 1-2.7 million noncitizens will vote in the Nov. 5 presidential election. Since 2021, border authorities have apprehended approximately 10 million illegal aliens at the U.S.-Mexico border, and authorities know that at least 1.66 million illegal aliens got away from authorities from fiscal year 2021 (which started in October 2020) through fiscal year 2023. EXCLUSIVE: Internal CBP data I obtained via FOIA request reveals 13 years of known gotaways data at the border, showing gotaways have *exploded* under the Biden admin compared to the Trump & Obama years. This is the first time these numbers have ever been revealed. FY2010… pic.twitter.com/LUQU5v87b2— Bill Melugin (@BillMelugin_) May 15, 2024 Many of these “gotaways” don’t stay in the country; neither do some of those who are arrested crossing the border illegally. Even so, if a mere fraction of these illegal aliens vote, their ballots may make a key difference in a close election. Joe Biden’s margin of victory over Donald Trump in the 2020 election came down to less than 50,000 votes in three key states—Arizona, Georgia, and Wisconsin—in an election when more than 155 million Americans cast ballots. Although most Americans in the poll expressed concern about illegal aliens being allowed to vote, a majority expressed confidence that the proper winner will be decided in the 2024 election. Most respondents (67%) said they were “somewhat confident” (31%) or “very confident” (36%) that “the votes will be accurately counted and the proper winners declared.” About a third (31%) said they were “not very confident” (19%) or “not at all confident” (12%) about this. Self-identified Democrats (86%) expressed more faith in election administration than Republicans (51%) and independents (53%). Republicans and Democrats pointed to opposite concerns when it comes to honest elections. Pollsters asked, “Which is the bigger problem with election fraud, too many non-voters are allowed to vote, or too many legitimate voters are prevented from voting?” More Americans (45%) identified illegal voting as the problem, while a large minority (36%) said disenfranchisement of legal voters was the bigger issue. Most self-identified Republicans (71%) identified illegal voting as the key issue, while some (19%) pointed to disenfranchisement. More than half of Democrats (56%) said disenfranchisement is the main issue, while about a fifth (21%) of them pointed to illegal voting. Independents (46%) pointed to illegal voting, although some (21%) also pointed to disenfranchisement. Leftists deride measures such as those requiring identification to vote as “voter suppression,” claiming that some voters are unable to present ID. Most of the poll’s respondents (87%) said they favor requiring ID to vote, with 63% saying they “strongly favor” it. Majorities of self-identified Republicans (94%), Democrats (81%), and independents (81%) said they favor voter ID, although Democrats proved more likely to “somewhat favor” it (30%) than other groups (19% of Republicans and 14% of independents). RMG Research surveyed 1,000 registered voters between Wednesday and Thursday of last week; the poll’s margin of error is plus or minus 3.1 percentage points. The post ‘Large Number’ of Illegal Aliens Will Vote in 2024 Elections, Most Americans Say appeared first on The Daily Signal.

Colorado’s new LGBTQ social studies standards, which include first grade lessons on LGBTQ history, transgenderism, and the rainbow flag, is age-inappropriate and pushes a radical agenda, some parents in the state complain. “I don’t want my first grader learning anything about LGBTQ issues at all in school,” a Colorado father of a first grader who asked to remain anonymous told The Daily Signal. “If there was no agenda, then it wouldn’t be taught. For the schools or the district to have an agenda is the same to me as indoctrination.” The Colorado State Board of Education approved the new social studies standards in November 2022 to take effect in fall 2024. The standards incorporate the “historical and civic contributions of LGBTQ+” in first through 12th grade history and civics curriculum. The Colorado Department of Education did not respond to The Daily Signal’s request for comment. In first grade civics, the education department recommends children read  “Sylvia and Marsha Start a Revolution,” the story of two black transgender “women” who “helped kickstart the Stonewall Riots” and “dedicated their lives to fighting for LGBTQ+ equality,” according to the description of it on Amazon. The Colorado Board of Education recommends first graders read this book about two transgender black “women.” (Amazon) Other in-class reading includes “The Story of Pete Buttigieg – Mayor Pete,” a children’s biography of the first openly gay presidential candidate, now the federal secretary of transportation, and an article about the current governor of Colorado, Jared Polis, who is gay. “Indoctrination to me means that the schools feel there is a necessity to override parenting, given there’s inherently going to be some inconsistencies with many families’ parenting and instruction to their children, and any school’s social agenda of this sort,” the first grader’s dad said. Colorado state Rep. Brandi Bradley opposes the standards because they teach children a “false narrative” and lead them down a path “to lifelong sterility and mutilation,” she said, referencing transgenderism. “This is child abuse, plain and simple,” Bradley, a public school mom, told The Daily Signal. “It’s pedophilia. It’s sexual perversion.” LGBTQ+ Annotated Resource SetsDownload In history class, first graders will “discuss common and unique characteristics of different cultures, including African American, Latino, Asian American, Hawaiian/Pacific Islanders, Indigenous Peoples, LGBTQ, and religious minorities, using multiple sources of information.” In lessons on the Pride flag, 6-year-olds read “Pride: The Story of Harvey Milk and the Rainbow Flag” and learn about the 2012 Gay Pride Parade in San Francisco, according to the Colorado Board of Education. Milk, who was gay, was a member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. “The Pride Flag is an international symbol that represents the culture and people of the LGBTQ+ community,” the standards read. “The book introduces children to the Pride flag and its use in the San Francisco movements for gay rights. The first image comes from San Francisco’s modern LGBTQ+ celebrations around Gay Pride.” The rainbow flag is a “symbol of equality for citizens,” according to the standards. “The Pride Flag and its use in clothes, stickers, and other representations are a common and easily identifiable symbol for a community who has struggled to be seen,” the guide for first grade teachers continues. “By displaying the symbol, LGBTQ+ people can feel included and respected.” The Colorado Department of Education’s “Annotated Resource Set #1: 1st Grade History” contains LGBTQ resource recommendations. (Colorado Department of Education) First graders who can “discuss, identify, and explain important LGBTQ+ symbols” will be considered “prepared graduates” under the newly implemented standards. “There should be 100% agreement that kids of that age can’t think through these issues by themselves or even have a frame of reference for the issue, which makes the age too young to present the material,” according to the father of the first grader. “Therefore, when the school constructs the frame of reference for the kids and then presents the material, it’s pure indoctrination,” he said. Second graders read “When You Look Out the Window,” which focuses on a lesbian couple who move to San Francisco, and study rainbow crosswalks in Denver, which the standards say “visually demonstrate this diverse neighborhood’s connection and support of the LGBTQ+ community.” Recommended reading includes “If You’re a Kid Like Gavin: The True Story of a Young Trans Activist,” a children’s story about a biological female who lobbied to use the boys bathroom to match her “gender identity.” “Gavin chose to correct others when they got his pronouns wrong,” the Amazon description reads. “He asked to be respected. He stood up for himself. Gavin proved that his school had violated his constitutional rights and had the Supreme Court uphold his case—bringing about a historic win for trans rights. There are many kids out there, some just like Gavin Grimm, and they might even be you.” Fourth graders read “Donovan’s Big Day,” the story of a lesbian marriage from the perspective of a little boy. Fifth graders learn an answer to the question of “what barriers to citizenship have affected people including African Americans, Latinos, Asian Americans, Hawaiian/Pacific Islanders, Indigenous Peoples, LGBTQ, and religious minorities?” In sixth grade, the standards feature lessons on LGBTQ Native Americans. They learn to answer: “What values do different indigenous cultures have around gender and LGBTQ people?” Sixth graders learn about the term “two spirit” though a video explaining that it refers to Native American people “believed to be blessed with both male and female spirits.” Any lessons on LGBTQ history should be delivered objectively and should be optional, a Colorado mom of a preschooler and of a sixth grader told The Daily Signal. “Ultimately, this feels like another attempt by the government [and] schools to make values-based decisions for families as this gender-ideology issue persists,” the mother of two said, “and they are coming after younger and younger students in their attempts to normalize the issue and force widespread acceptance.” The post ‘Indoctrination’: Colorado Parents Outraged by Elementary School LGBTQ History Standards Launching This Fall appeared first on The Daily Signal.

The Secret Service has a “culture of deception,” former Rep. Jason Chaffetz says. “What they tell the public has routinely been inaccurate, if not an outright lie,” said Chaffetz, a Republican who represented Utah’s 3rd Congressional District and who is now a visiting fellow with The Heritage Foundation’s Oversight Project. The former congressman made his remarks in a panel discussion, “The U.S. Secret Service Before, During, and After the Assassination Attempt of President Trump,” at The Heritage Foundation on Monday in Washington, D.C. He said the would-be assassin’s bullet that grazed former President Donald Trump on July 13 came close to changing the trajectory of our country. “It really highlighted for us that there is a serious problem that Secret Service’s got a reputation of being impenetrable, the premier law enforcement agency out there,” said Chaffetz, a regular contributor on the Fox News Channel. He expects an investigation into the Secret Service will assign the agency an “F” in five categories—recruiting, training, workload, communication, and technology. The Secret Service is understaffed, forcing too many people to work overtime, according to Chaffetz. Increased training is one of the key changes needed to Secret Service operations, said Tristan Leavitt, president of Empower Oversight, who also spoke on The Heritage Foundation panel. “And so, these individuals who go there because they have a passion. They want to be able to serve our nation. They’re not pursuing the training,” Leavitt said. The Secret Service needs to move to a threat-based protective model, he said, adding that threats against Trump are high, but he’s treated as a third-rate protective responsibility. The agency also need to increase respect for employees so people don’t leave, Leavitt said. “They leave, and the Secret Service then is always having to retrain individuals,” he said, adding that its protectees should feel confident in the Secret Service, regardless of their political party. “We need to fix the Secret Service,” Leavitt said. “You have to make changes so that everyone can have that confidence.” Americans have no reason to trust Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas’ ability to execute change in the Secret Service, said Susan Crabtree, Real Clear Politics national political correspondent, who has written extensively on the agency and its culture in the wake of the Trump shooting. “This new leadership needs to happen, and we can talk about exactly who we think is best for that,” Crabtree said. The post Secret Service Has ‘Routinely’ Misled American Public, Ex-Congressman Says appeared first on The Daily Signal.

If you're tired of censorship and dystopian threats against civil liberties, subscribe to Reclaim The Net. The arrest of Telegram CEO Pavel Durov was initiated under the auspices of the Tribunal Judiciaire de Paris, which issued a statement detailing the circumstances surrounding Durov’s detention. “Pavel DUROV, founder and CEO of instant messaging and platform Telegram, was arrested… then taken into police custody at 8 p.m.,” the tribunal stated. This action is part of a “judicial investigation opened the 8th of July 2024, following a preliminary inquiry initiated by Section J3 – JUNALCO (Fight against Cybercrime) of the Paris Public Prosecutor’s Office.” The charges against Durov raise serious concerns about the potential for widespread legal actions against tech executives based on the content hosted on their platforms. The case also underscores the growing tension between government regulations and the principle of encryption, hinting at a possible future where strong encryption could face legal challenges. For example, the EU has already been using the idea of protecting children as the reason to call for a ban on all private messaging and the introduction of online digital ID. Durov is accused under several charges that encompass a wide array of alleged complicit behaviors. We obtained a copy of the full charges for you here. Complicity in Web-Mastering for Illegal Transactions: This charge alleges that Durov enabled illegal transactions by merely providing the digital infrastructure of Telegram. This sets a concerning precedent, suggesting that tech platforms might be held liable for any illegal activities conducted by their users, regardless of the platform’s direct involvement or knowledge. Refusal to Communicate Information for Lawful Interceptions: Durov is also charged with refusing to provide user data for government surveillance, highlighting a clash between government demands for data access and the commitment of tech companies to protect user privacy. Complicity in Narcotics and Child Abuse Activities: This involves accusations that Telegram was used to facilitate child abuse and drug trafficking, potentially making Durov liable for users’ actions involving narcotics, despite his non-involvement in those activities directly. Offering Tools for Cybersecurity Breaches: One charge accuses him of offering, selling, or making available tools that could be used to access or damage data systems, putting at risk the distribution of dual-use tools that are crucial for cybersecurity. Organized Fraud and Criminal Association: These charges suggest that Durov’s platform was used for organized fraud and other criminal activities, potentially holding him responsible for any criminal plans discussed or conducted via Telegram. Financial Crimes: Including charges such as laundering the proceeds derived from organized crime, which implicates the platform in financial misdeeds conducted through its services. Regulatory Non-Compliance in Cryptology: Durov faces several charges related to the provision of cryptography services without proper declarations, suggesting a legal push against strong encryption practices and private communication. Setting a Dangerous Precedent The nature of these charges suggests a shift in how legal responsibilities are assigned in the tech sector. Traditionally, tech companies in the US have operated under the legal framework that shields them from liability for user-generated content, thanks to regulations like Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act in the United States. Although there are some exceptions, Section 230 effectively absolves social media platforms of the responsibility for the wrongful acts or criminal behavior of their users. However, this is unique to the United States and is designed to allow innovation. In a global setting, the charges against Durov could indicate a move towards holding tech executives personally accountable for the activities that take place on their platforms, even if they are not directly involved in those activities. If you're tired of censorship and dystopian threats against civil liberties, subscribe to Reclaim The Net. The post The Charges Against Telegram CEO Pavel Durov appeared first on Reclaim The Net.

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