Pavel Durov, founder and CEO of messaging app Telegram, has warned that a “dark dystopian world” is on the horizon as governments around the world roll back privacy protections.
“I’m turning 41 and I’m not in the mood to celebrate. Our generation is running out of time to preserve the free internet that our fathers built for us,” Durov said in an X post on Thursday.
“Countries that were once free are introducing dystopian measures,” Durov said, citing the European Union’s proposed chat regulations, Britain’s digital ID and Australia’s new rules requiring online age verification for access to social media.
“What once promised the free exchange of information is turning into the ultimate control tool.”
“Germany persecutes anyone who dares criticize its officials on the internet. Britain jails thousands for tweets. France criminally investigates technology leaders defending freedom and privacy.”
“While we are sleeping, a dark dystopian world is fast approaching. Our generation risks going down in history as the last generation to have freedom, and we have allowed it to be taken away from us,” Pavel added.
Privacy protection is a cornerstone of Bitcoin and the broader cryptocurrency industry. Bitcoin was created to operate anonymously, using addresses instead of names and allowing peer-to-peer transactions without bank involvement.
Germany may have blocked EU chat controls
EU lawmakers are expected to vote next week on a chat law that critics say would require services such as Telegram, WhatsApp and Signal to encrypt messages so regulators can inspect them before sending them, undermining encrypted messaging and people’s right to privacy.
However, the bill has suffered a major blow, with the leader of Germany’s largest political party expressing opposition. Germany, which holds 97 seats in the European Parliament, was expected to have the final say on whether to pass the bill.
Meredith Whittaker, president of messaging app Signal, said on Thursday she was relieved that Germany opposed the bill, but warned that “the war is not over” as it now moves to the “European Council where the issue is unresolved”.
He also warned that further attempts to enact similar measures that would allow content to be scanned should be opposed. This is because it disables encryption and also creates a “dangerous backdoor”.
“The technical consensus is clear: We cannot create backdoors that only allow ‘good guys’ in. No matter how they dress, these proposals create loopholes in cybersecurity that hackers and hostile nation states are eager to exploit.”
UK digital ID also raises concerns
In September, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced a digital ID system that would require citizens to prove their right to live and work in the country.
The government is promoting the measure as a way to combat illegal workers, but it will also reduce waiting times for identity checks and access to government services such as licenses, child care, welfare and taxes.
Critics say the system raises privacy concerns because it requires individuals to provide personal information that is stored in government apps and is too easy for the government to exploit.
Related: I financed my life with Bitcoin instead of Telegram: Pavel Durov
More than 2.8 million people have already signed a petition opposing the introduction of digital IDs. Petitions with more than 100,000 signatures must be considered for consideration in parliament.
Australia’s online age verification system also raises privacy concerns
Australia will restrict access to social media platforms for users under 16 from December 10, and one of the measures floated to enforce the ban is an online digital age verification system.
The country’s lawmakers say the system will protect minors from harmful content online. But critics have similar privacy concerns about the UK system, saying it could lead to abuse by the government and raise privacy issues around how data is stored.
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