Pavel Durov believes that the world is rapidly approaching digital dictatorship. More and more countries are abandoning privacy, for which the open internet was originally created.
“I’m 41, but there’s nothing to celebrate. We are losing the last chances to preserve the freedom that our fathers once fought for,” he wrote on X.
Even in countries that were long considered democratic, laws are now being passed that violate basic rights.
In Europe — the Chat Control initiative. In Britain, digital ID is being launched. In Australia, mandatory age verification is being prepared before entering social networks.
“The internet is ceasing to be a space for the free exchange of information. It is being turned into a tool of control,” Durov warns.
He also says that in Germany people are punished for criticizing the authorities, in the UK people are jailed for posts, and in France cases are opened against those who publicly defend privacy.
“While we sleep, dystopia is already near. Our generation risks becoming the last to know what freedom is and quietly give it away,” he added.
Durov reminded that the protection of personal data is at the core of the crypto industry. Bitcoin was created not for profit, but as a way to preserve anonymity. No names, no banks, no intermediaries — just the user and the code.
Germany may block the Chat Control law in the EU
The European Parliament was going to consider the Chat Control bill. It obliges messengers like Telegram, WhatsApp and Signal to scan messages before they are encrypted.
Critics call this direct interference in private correspondence. According to them, such a system destroys the very concept of privacy and makes encryption meaningless.
But the project faces serious problems. The leader of Germany’s largest party opposed the law. And the country has 97 seats in the European Parliament, which makes its position decisive.
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The head of Signal Meredith Whittaker called the news encouraging, but emphasized that everything is still ahead. Now the issue will be considered by the European Council, and the outcome is not yet clear.
She added that any attempts to legalize the scanning of private messages are dangerous. Such measures destroy encryption and open the way to total control.
“The technical community has long come to a unanimous conclusion: it is impossible to create a loophole that only ‘trusted’ parties will use. Sooner or later, hackers or hostile states will get in,” Whittaker explained.
Digital IDs in the UK also raise concerns
The UK authorities want to introduce digital identity cards. This was announced in September by Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
The essence of the initiative is to create a system through which every resident will have to confirm their right to be and work in the country. All through an app.
Officially, the project is presented as a way to combat illegal employment. At the same time, they promise to simplify access to public services: taxes, benefits, licenses, and other formalities.
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But opponents believe that the system undermines the right to privacy. To use the digital ID, you will have to provide personal data, which will be stored in a government app. Activists fear that this information could be misused.
A petition against digital ID has already collected more than 2.8 million signatures. The threshold of 100,000 has long been surpassed, which means Parliament is obliged to officially consider the issue.
Australia introduces age verification — and again questions about privacy
From December 10, Australia plans to ban users under 16 from accessing social networks. One way to implement this is digital age verification through an online system.
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Authorities say this will help protect teenagers from harmful content. But critics see a threat to privacy in the initiative. They compare it to the British system and warn that if the state collects such data, it can easily be misused.
The main risk is centralized storage of personal information without sufficient security guarantees.
