Pavel Durov, the founder of Telegram, has been detained in France over the weekend, sparking a debate about end-to-end encryption and security concerns. As a billionaire entrepreneur, Durov has built a reputation for being a free-speech fighter, but his recent legal troubles have raised questions about his commitment to privacy.
Born in 1984 in the Soviet Union, Durov moved to Italy at a young age before returning to Russia after the collapse of the Soviet Union. He and his older brother, Nikolai, were math prodigies who went on to build Vkontakte (VK), a social media site that became known as the Facebook of Russia.
However, Durov’s relationship with the Kremlin turned adversarial when protesters began using VK to organize demonstrations in Kyiv against Ukraine’s pro-Russian president. The government asked VK to hand over private data of Ukrainian users, which Durov refused. This decision sealed his fate at the company, and he later resigned as CEO.
Durov went on to build Telegram, a messaging app that prioritizes end-to-end encryption and privacy. Despite initial resistance from the Kremlin, Telegram became one of the few foreign social media platforms operating in Russia without restrictions.
However, Telegram’s refusal to budge on decryption has put it at loggerheads with governments around the world, including Russia. Moscow attempted to ban Telegram for refusing to supply Russian security services with decryption keys, but Durov vowed to defy the ban.
Durov’s critics have long questioned whether Telegram could operate so freely in Russia without having made some sort of concession to the Kremlin. However, Durov has repeatedly batted down allegations that he has compromised on privacy and security.
In his most recent legal trouble, Durov was detained in France over a warrant related to Telegram’s lack of moderation. Telegram responded by stating that it is absurd to claim that a platform or its owner are responsible for abuse of that platform. The company added that it abides by EU laws and that Durov had nothing to hide.
As the debate surrounding end-to-end encryption and security concerns continues, Durov’s detention has raised questions about his commitment to free speech and privacy.
Source: https://edition.cnn.com/2024/08/26/tech/pavel-durov-telegram-profile-intl/index.html