“Losing that protection would be tragic” – Pavel Durov raises concerns over proposed encryption legislation in France

In a message posted on his Telegram channel, Durov addressed a bill passed by the French Senate last month that would have required messaging platforms to implement backdoors for police access to private messages. Telegram's founder noted that the bill remains a topic of debate, despite being rejected by the National Assembly.

“Last month, France nearly banned encryption. A law requiring messaging apps to implement a backdoor for police access to private messages was passed by the Senate. Luckily, it was shot down by the National Assembly. Yet 3 days ago the Paris Police Prefect advocated for it again,” Durov wrote.

He stated that, had the bill been enacted, France would have been the first country to remove legal protections for encrypted messaging.

“The members of the National Assembly were wise to reject a law that would have made France the first country in the world to strip its citizens of their right to privacy. Even countries that many Europeans view as lacking in freedoms have never banned encryption,” he added.

Durov argued that implementing backdoors poses a technical risk that could extend beyond the intended scope of law enforcement. He also questioned the effectiveness of such measures in combating crime, particularly in relation to drug trafficking.

“Why? Because it’s technically impossible to guarantee that only the police can access a backdoor. Once introduced, a backdoor can be exploited by other parties — from foreign agents to hackers. As a result, the private messages of all law abiding citizens can get compromised. Aimed at preventing drug trafficking, the law wouldn’t have helped fight crime anyway. Even if mainstream encrypted apps had been weakened by a backdoor, criminals could still communicate securely through dozens of smaller apps — and become even harder to trace due to VPNs.,” Durov explained.

Reaffirming Telegram’s stance on encryption, Durov stated that the company would choose to leave a market rather than implement backdoors.

“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.

In it’s 12-year history, Telegram has never disclosed a single byte of private messages. In accordance with the EU Digital Services Act, if provided with a valid court order, Telegram would only disclose the IP addresses and phone numbers of criminal suspects — not messages,” he highlighted.

Durov concluded his statement by addressing regulatory developments at the European level, noting that similar proposals are under consideration.

“Last month, freedom prevailed. But it was a reminder: we must keep explaining to lawmakers that encryption isn’t built to protect criminals — it protects the privacy and safety of ordinary people. Losing that protection would be tragic. The battle is far from over. This month, the European Commission proposed a similar initiative to add backdoors to messaging apps. No country is immune to the slow erosion of freedoms. Every day, those freedoms come under attack — and every day, we must defend them,” he wrote.

Earlier, Kazinform reported on Durov’s response to media claims suggesting that his detainment in France last year led Telegram to comply with EU regulations. He disputed the allegations, stating that Telegram had always operated in accordance with European laws.