Recently, the French Senate considered a bill that would require messaging services to implement a "backdoor" for police access to end-to-end encrypted messages. This controversial decision was ultimately rejected by the National Assembly, marking a significant win for digital privacy advocates in the country. However, just days later, the police prefect of Paris reignited the discussion, according to Telegram founder Pavel Durov.
Durov commended the lawmakers for their refusal to support a "law that could have made France the first country to strip its citizens of their right to privacy." He warned that any built-in "backdoors" could become targets for criminals and malicious actors, jeopardizing the security of personal messages for everyday users.
While supporters of the bill argued that it would aid in combating crime, Durov expressed skepticism about its effectiveness. "Even if the major encrypted platforms were undermined, criminals would simply switch to dozens of lesser-known apps and secure their communications using VPNs," he explained.
The Telegram founder noted that the platform, used by over 700 million people worldwide, has maintained a strict policy against "backdoors" for the past 12 years. "We would rather exit the market than betray encryption and violate basic human rights," Durov emphasized, comparing his approach to competitors who "trade privacy for market share."
According to EU law on digital services, Durov stated that Telegram complies with legal court orders by disclosing only IP addresses and phone numbers of suspects—never the content of their messages. "We have never passed on a single byte of private messages," Durov asserted.
Despite the recent legislative defeat in France, Durov warned that the fight for encryption is far from over. In March, the European Commission proposed a similar initiative to introduce "backdoors" in messaging apps across the European Union.
While Durov positions Telegram as a messaging service with end-to-end encryption, he has faced criticism for overstating its security. For instance, in 2021, Signal founder Moxie Marlinspike claimed that even Facebook Messenger offers better privacy protection than Telegram, as end-to-end encryption (E2EE) is only activated in "secret chats" and is not enabled by default for all conversations.