Pavel Durov’s urgent warning: “We’re running out of time to save the free Internet!”
Imagine a world where your online chats are routinely scanned, where you need a government digital ID just to prove who you are online, or where accessing social media requires an age check that shares your personal data. Sound a bit “dystopian”? Well, that’s exactly the kind of future Pavel Durov, the founder and CEO of Telegram, is seeing on the horizon, and he’s sounding a massive alarm.
Durov, who just turned 41, recently shared a pretty somber thought on X (formerly Twitter). He said he didn’t even feel like celebrating because “Our generation is running out of time to save the free internet built for us by our fathers.” That’s a pretty heavy statement, right? He’s convinced that governments worldwide are actively chipping away at our privacy, turning what was once a promise of free information exchange into “the ultimate tool of control.”
He’s pointing fingers at a few specific “dystopian measures”:
- The European Union’s “Chat Control” proposal, which he sees as a huge threat.
- New digital ID systems in the UK.
- And online age checks for social media in Australia.
Durov didn’t hold back, citing examples like Germany reportedly going after people for criticizing officials online, the UK jailing people over tweets, and France investigating tech leaders who stand up for freedom and privacy. “A dark, dystopian world is approaching fast — while we’re asleep,” he warned. “Our generation risks going down in history as the last one that had freedoms — and allowed them to be taken away.”
It’s easy to see why this is a big deal, especially for anyone who cares about privacy and things like cryptocurrency, where anonymity and peer-to-peer transactions without banks are core values.
The details that have everyone worried
Let’s break down some of these initiatives Durov is so concerned about:
1. The EU’s “Chat Control” law: A bullet dodged (For now?)
This is a big one. EU lawmakers were actually scheduled to vote on this “Chat Control” law very soon. The idea was that messaging services like Telegram, WhatsApp, and Signal would have to let regulators screen messages before they even got encrypted and sent. Can you imagine? Critics were rightly up in arms, saying it completely undermines encrypted messaging and our right to privacy.
Thankfully, it hit a major snag! The head of Germany’s largest political party actually came out against it. Since Germany holds a whopping 97 seats in the European Parliament, that was a huge blow to the bill’s chances of passing.
Meredith Whittaker, the president of Signal (another secure messaging app), breathed a sigh of relief but quickly warned that “the war is not over.” The issue now moves to the European Council, where it’s still up in the air. She’s also very clear: any future attempts to allow content scanning need to be fiercely opposed. Why? Because it messes with encryption and creates a “dangerous backdoor.” She put it perfectly: “The technical consensus is clear: you can’t create a backdoor that only lets the ‘good guys’ in.” Such loopholes are just waiting for hackers and hostile nations to exploit. Yikes.
2. The UK’s digital ID: convenience vs. privacy
Over in the UK, Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced plans for a digital ID scheme back in September. Basically, citizens would need this digital ID to prove their right to live and work in the country. The government’s pitch is that it’ll help fight illegal workers and speed up access to government services like licenses, childcare, welfare, and taxes. Sounds efficient, right?
But critics are raising serious privacy alarms. People would have to hand over a lot of personal information to be stored on a government app, and the worry is that it would be way too easy for the government to misuse that data. It’s not just a small group concerned, either: over 2.8 million people have already signed a petition against it, which is enough to force a debate in Parliament.
3. Australia’s online age verification: Protecting kids, but at what cost?
Australia is also getting into the mix, planning to restrict social media access for anyone under 16 starting on 10th of December. One idea floated to enforce this is an online digital age verification system. Lawmakers say it’s all about protecting minors from harmful content online.
However, just like with the UK’s digital ID, people are worried about privacy. There are fears of potential government misuse and big questions about how all that personal data would be stored and protected.
So, Durov’s message isn’t just about Telegram. It’s about a much bigger picture of internet freedom and privacy that seems to be shrinking day by day. He’s essentially saying, “Wake up! We have a choice to make about what kind of internet future we want.”
