Telegram Threatens to Withdraw from France

(MENAFN) Pavel Durov, the chief executive of Telegram, declared that the messaging platform would consider withdrawing its operations from France if government officials persist in seeking access to users’ private messages.

On Monday, he expressed on X that “Telegram would rather exit a market than undermine encryption with backdoors and violate basic human rights,” emphasizing the company’s firm stance on protecting user privacy.

Durov commended the decision made by the French National Assembly last month to reject legislation aimed at restricting encryption.

He described the move as “wise,” and pointed out that if passed, the law would have made France the first country to “strip its citizens of their right to privacy.”

Despite this earlier victory for privacy advocates, the issue reemerged after the Paris Police Prefect voiced renewed support for such measures last Friday.

According to Durov, creating special access for authorities is not a secure solution.

He explained that “it’s technically impossible to guarantee that only the police can access a backdoor,” noting that once implemented, such vulnerabilities could be abused by hostile entities, including foreign intelligence or cybercriminals. This, he argued, would put the communications of innocent users at risk.

He further contended that implementing such a law would do little to hinder criminal activity.

Drug traffickers, he said, would simply migrate to lesser-known platforms that do not adhere to the same rules, thus rendering the backdoor ineffective in tackling illegal communication.

Durov clarified that Telegram already complies with the European Union’s Digital Services Act by handing over user data — specifically IP addresses and phone numbers — when presented with a legitimate court order. However, he stressed that this cooperation does not extend to the content of messages.

Finally, he warned of broader implications, referencing a similar proposal by the European Commission to introduce message access across platforms.

Durov cautioned that “no country is immune to the slow erosion of freedoms,” suggesting that such policies could set a dangerous precedent across Europe.

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