Rumble CEO Chris Pavlovski has left Europe and pulled the platform out of France in response to fears over a crackdown on content-sharing platforms. [Image: Shutterstock.com]

Rumble founder on the run

The CEO and Founder of video streaming platform Rumble, Chris Pavlovski, has left Europe amid a crackdown on content-sharing platforms that saw Telegram CEO Pavel Durov arrested by French authorities.

Pavlovski stated days earlier that Rumble had withdrawn from France and Brazil after being threatened by the authorities. The UK and New Zealand are also supposedly putting pressure on the company. Later, Pavlovski announced on X: “I’m a little late to this, but for good reason — I’ve just safely departed from Europe.”

will use every legal means available to fight for freedom of expression”

“France has threatened Rumble, and now they have crossed a red line by arresting Telegram’s CEO, Pavel Durov, reportedly for not censoring speech,” he explained. “Rumble will not stand for this behavior and will use every legal means available to fight for freedom of expression, a universal human right.”

“We are currently fighting in the courts of France, and we hope for Pavel Durov’s immediate release.”

Rumble’s casino niche

Rumble has seen considerable growth as a streaming platform for casino content ever since Twitch updated its restrictions on gambling content in 2022.

The move prevented creators from streaming table games and slots from unregulated offshore casinos on Twitch, resulting in a mass exodus of casino streamers to the Rumble platform, in addition to Stake-backed Kick.

The explosion in casino content also saw an increase of fake casino content – with streamers using fake money to hit jackpots, encouraging more sign-ups through their affiliate links. The authenticity of a lot of gambling content is still a cause for debate among fans and critics alike.

France’s content crackdown

Rumble now has an average monthly user total of 53 million, above the 45 million required to be classed as a Very Large Online Platform (VLOP) under the EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA). Controversially, VLOPs can be legally accountable for content shared on their platforms.

However, in the case of Telegram, which is also facing a probe in India, a European Commission spokesperson said that Durov’s arrest was unrelated to the DSA.

The DSA does not define what is illegal”

“Criminal prosecution is not among the potential sanctions for a breach of the DSA. The DSA does not define what is illegal nor does it establish any criminal offence and can therefore not be invoked for arrests,” the spokesperson added.

French President Emmanuel Macron also took to X to comment on Durov’s arrest, saying that the country was “deeply committed to freedom of expression” and that “the arrest of the president of Telegram on French soil took place as part of an ongoing judicial investigation.”

Pavlovski responded that Macron was “lying” and that: “We have a letter from France that proves this, without a doubt.”