One meta-note on the situation, is that in my timeline I have seen exactly zero non-western people defending Durov's arrest, but quite a few western people.

Definitely don't want to say that they don't exist (after all, my timeline is biased just like anyone's), just this is what my sample is so far.

IMO this is another example of the decoupling of liberalism and westernism that https://x.com/MacaesBruno often talks about.

I explained the case to mg gf and why it annoys me but then I told her she got other things to figure out than online privacy and the arrest of a billionaire and simply live happily.

Think this argument fits with the broader community. Lots of westerners come from a background with a safety net &or accumulated wealth and care about this (almost ideological libertarian) issue while people in other locations prefer to fight other issues first.