Telegram founder threatens to leave French market on encryption law
Telegram founder Pavel Durov has sharply criticised the French government’s attempt to ban encryption. He sees the move as a serious threat to digital privacy. Durov revealed on 21 April that French lawmakers last month narrowly averted legislation that would have required messaging apps to build in backdoors for law enforcement to access private messages.
Durov praised the National Assembly for rejecting the bill, claiming that it would have made France the first country to abolish its citizens’ right to digital privacy. He noted that even governments with poor human rights records have never gone so far as to completely ban encryption.
According to Durov, the introduction of backdoors weakens rather than strengthens security. He argued that anyone, including foreign governments and cybercriminals, could abuse a backdoor if it were created. Durov stressed that law-abiding citizens would be the real victims of such backdoors because their messages could be intercepted or leaked.
Moreover, Durov disputed the idea that this legislation would effectively curb illegal activity. He pointed out that criminals would simply switch to smaller, more secure platforms or use tools such as Virtual Private Networks (VPNs), which would make them even harder to detect.
Durov made it clear that Telegram would rather leave any market than compromise its encryption standards or violate basic human rights. He reiterated that in its 12-year history, Telegram has never shared private messages with a government. The platform only provides limited data, such as IP addresses and phone numbers, and only when a valid court order is presented, in accordance with the EU Digital Services Act.
Finally, Durov urged lawmakers to stop treating encryption as a tool for criminals. He stressed that encryption is a fundamental right that protects the privacy of ordinary people. He warned that the battle is far from over, citing the European Commission’s recent proposal for similar backdoor legislation in messaging apps.
Durov’s steadfast stance on privacy has made him a controversial figure. Last year, he was arrested at an airport near Paris and charged with numerous crimes, including alleged involvement in drug trafficking, distribution of child pornography, fraud, money laundering and illegally offering cryptographic services. Since its release, Telegram has been under increasing pressure from governments to share user data, and legal experts predict that this pressure will increase. The regulatory landscape is shifting in a direction that may soon force tech companies like Telegram to comply with requirements to hand over users’ private data.
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