Now, Durov has something to say about French lawmakers of the National Assembly, the lower house of the French Parliament.
The billionaire expressed strong support for the French National Assembly’s recent decision to reject a controversial bill that would have made France the first country in the world to effectively strip its citizens of digital privacy. According to Durov, the proposed law, although presented as a means to fight drug trafficking, would have introduced dangerous consequences without achieving its intended goals:
The members of the National Assembly were wise to reject a law that would have made France the first country in the world to strip its citizens of their right to privacy. Even countries that many Europeans view as lacking in freedoms have never banned encryption. Why? Because 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.
– Pavel Durov on his Telegram account, April, 2025
He pointed out that even nations widely criticized for limited civil liberties have refrained from banning encryption. The reason, he said, is simple: it is technically impossible to create a backdoor that can be accessed solely by law enforcement. Once such a vulnerability exists, it becomes a potential target for hostile entities – from foreign governments to cybercriminals. This kind of compromise could jeopardize the private communications of millions of law-abiding individuals.
Image source – Telegram
Durov also questioned the practical value of the bill in terms of fighting crime. In his view, weakening mainstream encrypted apps would not prevent criminals from communicating securely. Instead, they would simply turn to alternative platforms or lesser-known encrypted services:
Even if mainstream encrypted apps had been weakened by a backdoor, criminals could still communicate securely through dozens of smaller apps — and become even harder to trace due to VPNs.
– Pavel Durov on his Telegram account, April, 2025
Durov emphasized that Telegram would rather leave a country than undermine its encryption or compromise user privacy. He also highlighted Telegram’s track record over the past twelve years, stating that the platform has never shared even a single byte of private messages:
In its 12-year history, Telegram has never disclosed a single byte of private messages. 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.
– Pavel Durov on his Telegram account, April, 2025
Durov welcomed the National Assembly’s decision as a win for digital freedom, but he warned the fight is far from over. Just weeks later, the European Commission put forward a new plan to push backdoors into messaging apps across Europe. To him, it was a clear sign that no country is safe from the slow, steady loss of personal freedoms.
Do you share his views? Let me know in the comments below.
