Durov Warns of Erosion in Free Internet Amid Global Surveillance Push

Telegram founder Pavel Durov issued a stark warning on his 41st birthday, declaring that the free and open internet is vanishing at an alarming pace. Governments worldwide are leveraging safety and regulation as pretexts for mass surveillance, with the European Union's proposed Chat Control law standing as a prime example. The legislation WOULD mandate pre-send scanning of private messages on encrypted platforms like Telegram—a move critics equate to dismantling digital privacy.

Australia's new age verification rules and the UK's digital ID plans further illustrate the global trend toward centralized control. Durov framed these developments as existential threats to the foundational principles of free speech and decentralization—values that cryptocurrencies like BTC and ETH were designed to preserve. The irony is palpable: as blockchain networks advance financial sovereignty, traditional web infrastructure retreats toward surveillance capitalism.