The European Commission is once again putting forward the introduction of backdoors in encrypted messaging apps. In response, Pavel Durov from Telegram firmly states, “We prefer to exit a market rather than betray privacy.”
At a time when cybersecurity and privacy are at the center of the global tech debate, Pavel Durov, the founder of Telegram, has once again made the position of his platform clear in light of regulatory pressures from the European Union. In a public statement issued through his official Telegram channel, Durov warns about the serious risks of introducing backdoors into encryption systems and insists that privacy cannot be negotiated.
The proposal to introduce mechanisms that would allow authorities to access private messages—supposedly for the purposes of combating crime—was recently rejected by the French National Assembly, despite having been approved in the Senate. However, the police chief of Paris has reignited the debate, raising alarms about a potential violation of fundamental digital rights in Europe.
“Once a backdoor is introduced, there is no guarantee that only the police will have access. Other actors—from foreign agents to cybercriminals—can exploit it,” warns Durov. “This would endanger the privacy of millions of law-abiding citizens.”
Encryption in the crosshairs of new regulations
European authorities are considering new measures that would include technical requirements for digital platforms, including the imposition of backdoors in encrypted messaging apps. The stated goal is to strengthen the fight against serious crimes such as child exploitation and terrorism.
However, cybersecurity experts and digital rights advocates have repeatedly warned that weakening encryption would be counterproductive. Telegram, in particular, points out that criminals would simply migrate to less visible alternative platforms or channels protected by technologies like VPNs, making tracking even more difficult.
“Encryption does not protect criminals; it protects ordinary people. Removing it would be a historic mistake,” wrote Durov in his message.
Telegram and the cloud: solid infrastructure, firm principles
Telegram relies on a globally distributed cloud infrastructure to provide speed and reliability to its over 900 million users. Despite operating on a planetary scale, its approach to data handling is clear: the company does not store encrypted content on accessible servers and guarantees that it has never disclosed “a single byte of private messages” in its 12-year history.
Nonetheless, it complies with the EU Digital Services Act in aspects related to user identification, sharing data such as IP addresses or phone numbers in response to valid court orders. What it will never accept, under any circumstances, is compromising end-to-end encryption.
A warning against the erosion of digital freedoms
The founder of Telegram goes beyond the technical discussion and raises a geopolitical and philosophical approach: the defense of encryption as the last barrier against technological authoritarianism.
“No country is immune to the gradual erosion of freedoms. This battle is far from over,” concludes Durov.
With new public consultations opened by the European Commission on the future of digital regulation, including the use of encryption in cloud and messaging environments, the tug-of-war between tech platforms and lawmakers is just beginning. The case of Telegram will undoubtedly be one of the key references in the debate about the balance between security and privacy in the digital age.
Source: Security News