Pavel Durov, the founder and CEO of Telegram, said on Wednesday that French authorities had demanded that the company implement a “backdoor,” a technical capability to secretly access users’ private messages and data.
In a post on his personal channel, Pavel Durov explained that the scandal erupted against the backdrop of a French Senate bill that required messengers to implement a mechanism for police to access users’ correspondence. Although the National Assembly later rejected the law, Durov claims that the Paris police prefect is again pushing for its passage.
The Senate attributed the need for these changes to the fight against drug trafficking. However, Durov believes that such measures will not help in the real fight against crime, as criminals can easily switch to lesser-known messengers and hide their identity using VPNs.
Durov also emphasised that creating a backdoor carries risks as it can be exploited by hackers and attackers. He said that “it is technically impossible to guarantee that only the police will have access to such a mechanism.”
Telegram CEO wrote:
“This is why, as I’ve said before, Telegram would rather exit a market than undermine encryption with backdoors and violate basic human rights. Unlike some of our competitors, we don’t trade privacy for market share.”
Durov said Telegram can only provide authorities with IP addresses and phone numbers of suspects if there is a valid court request. He also noted that in the 12 years of the service’s existence, Telegram “has not handed over a single byte of personal correspondence.”
The French prosecutor’s office charged Durov with allegedly facilitating criminal activity on the platform – including incitement to violence, distribution of child sexual abuse material, drug trafficking and inciting hatred online. In response, Telegram promised to review its moderation policy.
