Telegram CEO Pavel Durov warned that the messaging app could leave France if authorities continue pressuring the platform to grant access to users’ encrypted messages.
"Telegram would rather exit a market than undermine encryption with backdoors and violate basic human rights,” Durov stated Monday on X.
He praised the French National Assembly for rejecting a proposed law last month that would have banned encryption, which he said would have made France the first country to "strip its citizens of their right to privacy.”
However, the encryption debate reignited last Friday after renewed calls from the Paris Police Prefect, Durov added.
"It’s technically impossible to guarantee that only the police can access a backdoor. Once introduced, a backdoor can be exploited by other parties, from foreign agents to hackers. As a result, the private messages of all law-abiding citizens can get compromised,” Durov wrote.
He said the law would not help combat drug trafficking as criminals could still communicate using smaller apps despite the backdoor.
"In accordance with the EU Digital Services Act, if provided with a valid court order, Telegram would only disclose the IP addresses and phone numbers of criminal suspects – not messages,” he said.
Durov noted that the European Commission also proposed a similar initiative for backdoors for messaging apps, underlining that "no country is immune to the slow erosion of freedoms.”
"We must keep explaining to lawmakers that encryption isn’t built to protect criminals - it protects the privacy and safety of ordinary people. Losing that protection would be tragic,” Durov added.
Last year, Pavel Durov was arrested at Le Bourget Airport near Paris after arriving from Azerbaijan, according to multiple French media reports. French authorities took him into custody based on an arrest warrant issued over allegations that Telegram was being used for money laundering, drug trafficking, and sharing content related to the exploitation of minors.
Durov, who has faced criticism and pressure from several governments over Telegram’s lack of content moderation, was notified of his arrest by France’s National Anti-Fraud Office. The incident sparked outrage in Russia, with officials accusing France of double standards on freedom of speech.
