The founder and CEO of the messaging app Telegram, Pavel Durov, warned that a dark, dystopian world is gradually approaching as governments around the world continue to undermine privacy protections.
According to Pavel Durov's post on X on Thursday: “I am about to turn 41, but I don’t feel it’s worth celebrating. Our generation has little time left to save the free internet that our parents built for us.”
Pavel Durov mentioned that the EU's Chat Control proposal, the UK's digital identity system, and Australia's new regulations requiring social media to conduct online age verification are all dystopian measures.
“Germany is cracking down on anyone who dares to criticize officials online. The UK has imprisoned a large number of people for tweets. France has launched criminal investigations against tech leaders dedicated to defending freedom and privacy.”
Pavel Durov added: “A dark dystopian world is approaching, and we are still asleep. This generation may become the last in history to have freedom and witness these freedoms being stripped away.”
Privacy protection is the cornerstone of Bitcoin and the broader cryptocurrency industry. From its inception, Bitcoin has achieved pseudo-anonymity by using addresses instead of names, allowing users to conduct peer-to-peer transactions without the need for banks or other third parties.
The leader of Germany's largest political party publicly opposed the bill, causing it to face significant setbacks. EU lawmakers had originally planned to vote on the Chat Control bill next week. Critics argue that the bill undermines encrypted communication and privacy rights, as it requires services like Telegram, WhatsApp, and Signal to allow regulators to screen messages before they are encrypted and sent. Germany holds 97 seats in the European Parliament and is considered crucial to whether the bill will pass.
According to Signal President Meredith Whittaker on Thursday, while Germany's opposition to the measure is reassuring, she warned that “the fight is not over,” as the issue has now moved to the European Council, and the situation remains unclear.
She also warned that any further attempts to implement similar content moderation measures should be opposed, as they not only undermine encryption mechanisms but also open up “dangerous backdoors.”
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced the UK's digital identity system in September, requiring citizens to prove their right to live and work in the UK.
The government is promoting this measure to combat illegal employment. At the same time, the system helps shorten the waiting time for identity verification and access to government services such as licenses, childcare, welfare, and taxes.
Critics argue that the proposal poses privacy risks, as personal information must be stored in government applications and is susceptible to government abuse.
More than 2.8 million people have signed a petition opposing the implementation of digital identity. Once the petition reaches 100,000 signatures, Parliament must consider whether to debate it.
Australia will restrict access to social media platforms for users under 16 starting December 10. To implement this ban, an online digital age verification system is planned.
Lawmakers in the country believe this measure will help protect minors from harmful content. However, critics, like those in the UK, are concerned that this could lead to government abuse and pose privacy risks due to data storage.
Related: Bitcoin falls below $120,000, pessimistic data triggers a 10% price drop warning.
Original article: “Telegram founder Durov says we have ‘little time left to save the free internet’”
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