(MENAFN) France is spearheading a European Union initiative to monitor private communications, Telegram founder Pavel Durov revealed Tuesday, highlighting mounting privacy concerns. The EU recently postponed the controversial “Chat Control” law following Germany’s vocal opposition, Durov emphasized.

The proposed legislation aims to combat child sexual abuse material (CSAM) by compelling digital platforms to detect and report harmful content—even within messages protected by end-to-end encryption. While EU officials frame the law as a necessary shield for children online, critics warn it risks enabling mass surveillance and severely eroding digital privacy.

Telegram shared a message directed at its French users, accusing politicians of endorsing what Durov called “an authoritarian law.” The post singled out current and former French interior ministers Laurent Nunez and Bruno Retailleau as supporters of the bill, which claims to “fight crime” but, according to Telegram, primarily targets ordinary citizens.

“Today, we defended privacy: Germany’s sudden stand saved our rights. But freedoms are still threatened. While French leaders push for total access to private messages, the basic rights of French people – and all Europeans – remain in danger,” the message states.

Telegram alerted all its French users to the risks of Chat Control, underscoring the need to expose those “who try to steal their freedoms”: “Today, the European Union nearly banned your right to privacy. It was set to vote on a law that would force apps to scan every…”

Durov further highlighted that the proposed law exempts officials and police communications and argued it would fail to prevent criminals, who could simply use VPNs or other tools to evade detection.

Dubbed “Chat Control,” the bill was shelved this week amid widespread concerns it could undermine fundamental privacy rights. Opposition came notably from Luxembourg, Austria, Germany, and Poland, all cautioning that the legislation could set a dangerous precedent by enabling sweeping surveillance of all online communications.

Durov, known for his clashes with Western authorities, has faced legal challenges in Europe over Telegram’s content policies. Last year, he was arrested in Paris and charged with complicity in crimes linked to Telegram users, though he was later released on bail, describing the case as politically motivated.

He has also accused French intelligence agencies of pressuring him to suppress conservative voices during elections in Moldova and Romania. According to Durov, EU regulations such as the Digital Services Act and the AI Act are paving the way for centralized information control.

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