Following the arrest of Pavel Durov, the CEO of the Telegram messaging application, retired army veteran Alexander Vindman warned that tech mogul Elon Musk and the rest of the "free speech absolutist weirdos" should be "nervous."

Knewz.com has learned that retired Lieutenant Colonel Vindman, who was a key witness in the impeachment trial against former President Donald Trump, warned that there is now an increasing intolerance for spreading misinformation on social media platforms and an increased demand for accountability for the owners of said platforms.

Notably, Musk's acquisition and rebranding of Twitter to X – which involved the termination of around 1,000 employees from the erstwhile "safety team" – hinged heavily on the concept of "free speech" and his so-called informal battle against political correctness, or "wokeness."

The retired army vet wrote on X in the aftermath of the Telegram CEO's arrest:

"While Durov holds French citizenship, is arrested for violating French law, this has broader implications for other social media, including Twitter."

"There’s a growing intolerance for platforming disinfo & malign influence & a growing appetite for accountability. Musk should be nervous."

Durov's arrest has sent shockwaves through the social media and tech industry, with experts viewing it as the war cry against the freedom of speech and expression.

It has been reported that the Telegram messaging app is mostly driven by the idea of "free speech," perpetuated by a nominal oversight of the content posted on the platform by the users.

On one hand, it allows users from restricted and near-authoritarian governments to express their views and connect with others across the world without painting a target on their backs.

On the other hand, the lenient supervision of the content available on the platform has made it a safe haven for extremists and propagandists, as well as alleged criminal activity.

The Russian entrepreneur was arrested specifically on charges "related to the spread of illicit material on the service," it has been reported.

In the aftermath of the arrest, Musk posted “#FreePavel” on X and also made a 1984-esque premonition in another post.

"It’s 2030 in Europe and you’re being executed for liking a meme," he wrote.

While some have already likened the basis of Durov's arrest to "thought crimes" and are seeing the shadow of dystopian authoritarianism, others have acknowledged the reported criminal infestation of Telegram but called for the release of the platform's CEO nonetheless.

Leonid Volkov, formerly a top adviser to the now-deceased Russian opposition leader Alexei A. Navalny, was quoted as saying, "Durov is not an ‘accomplice’ to the crimes committed by Telegram users."

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. also commented on the situation, saying: "The need to protect free speech has never been more urgent."

Vindman's warning to Musk amidst the global voices speaking out against the arrest has sparked significant backlash, to which he responded in a separate tweet—doubling down on his previous statement.

"These MAGA tech bros 'free speech absolutists,' weirdos saying that they’re a platform not at all responsible for moderating content are really triggered. France took action against the founder of telegram for running a platform that facilitated all manner of criminal activity, including child porn," the retired Lieutenant Colonel wrote.

"The EU has been increasingly stringent on enforcing content regulations in social media platforms. Enforcement is only likely to increase."

He then seemingly aimed directly at Republicans, saying:

"Maybe you should be more concerned about the fact that your nominee for POTUS is a sexual predator with well documented ties to Jeffrey Epstein."