Pavel Durov Warns: Telegram Will Leave EU Market Rather Than Submit to Message Scanning Law
Pavel Durov announced that Telegram had sent a message to its users in France, warning them about an attempt by the European Union to pass a law that would require messaging platforms to scan every private message — effectively “turning every phone into a spying device.”
He noted that France was leading the push for this initiative. According to Durov, both former and current Interior Ministers — Bruno Retailleau and Laurent Nuñez — have supported it. In March of last year, they declared that the police should have access to the private communications of French citizens. The proposal received backing from the Republicans and President Macron’s Renaissance party.
Durov stressed that such measures, introduced under the pretext of “fighting crime,” are in fact aimed at ordinary people. Criminals, he argued, would remain unaffected, as they can easily use VPNs and encrypted services to conceal their communications. Meanwhile, government and police messages would not be scanned, as the law exempts officials from surveillance.
He stated that German intervention had helped preserve user privacy, though fundamental freedoms remain under threat as French leaders continue to push for full access to private messages.
Durov recalled that in April, France had already considered a bill that would effectively outlaw encryption. The Senate approved it, but the National Assembly rejected it. He emphasized that even European nations often labeled as “unfree” have not banned encryption, since it is impossible to create a “backdoor” accessible only to the police — such vulnerabilities could just as easily be exploited by foreign intelligence agencies or hackers.
He underscored that in its twelve years of operation, Telegram “has not disclosed a single byte of private correspondence,” and under EU law, it may share only IP addresses and phone numbers of suspects, and solely upon a court order.
According to Durov, Telegram “would rather leave the market than weaken encryption or violate fundamental human rights.” He added that the victory over the French initiative serves as a reminder of the need to “constantly educate lawmakers that encryption protects not criminals, but ordinary people.”
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