Telegram founder Pavel Durov has turned 41, but instead of celebrating, he issued a message warning that the free Internet is on the brink of collapse.
In a post shared on his official Telegram channel, Durov said he could not celebrate while witnessing what he described as the rapid decline of digital freedom across the world.
«Our generation is running out of time to save the free Internet built for us by our fathers,» he wrote.
«A Tool of Control»
Durov accused governments in once-democratic countries of turning the Internet into «the ultimate tool of control.» He criticised measures such as digital IDs in the United Kingdom, mandatory online age verification in Australia, and the European Union’s proposed mass scanning of private messages.
The Telegram CEO went on to cite examples from across Europe, alleging that «Germany is persecuting anyone who dares to criticise officials,» while «the UK is imprisoning thousands for their tweets» and «France is criminally investigating tech leaders who defend freedom and privacy.»
A «Dystopian World» Approaching
Warning that «a dark, dystopian world is approaching fast — while we’re asleep,» Durov said his generation risks becoming «the last one that had freedoms — and allowed them to be taken away.»
He accused modern societies of betraying their forefathers’ legacy by undermining fundamental principles such as privacy, free speech, and sovereignty.
«We’ve been fed a lie,» Durov wrote. «We’ve been made to believe that the greatest fight of our generation is to destroy everything our forefathers left us.»
Ending his post, Durov declared:
«So no, I’m not going to celebrate today. I’m running out of time. We are running out of time.»
Kursiv also reports that Durov has deleted from his channel a video showing him swimming in one of the lakes of Kazakhstan’s Kolsai Lakes National Park.
