Challenges to Digital Privacy in France
Last month, French lawmakers nearly approved a proposal requiring messaging apps to implement a "backdoor" for police access to encrypted messages. This controversial decision was rejected by the National Assembly, marking an important victory for digital rights advocates in the country. However, just days ago, the Paris police prefect once again raised this initiative, as reported by Telegram founder Pavel Durov.
Durov expressed his gratitude to the lawmakers for rejecting the "law that could have made France the first country in the world to strip its citizens of their privacy rights." He also warned that any "backdoors" could be exploited not only by law enforcement but also by criminals, threatening the security of private messages for all citizens.
Supporters of the legislation argued it would help combat drug trafficking, but Durov remains skeptical. "Even if major encrypted platforms were weakened, criminals would simply switch to numerous lesser-known apps to secure their communications," he explained.
Telegram, which has over 700 million users, has adhered to a strict no-backdoor policy for 12 years. "We would rather exit the market than betray encryption and violate fundamental human rights," emphasized Durov, comparing his platform to competitors who "trade privacy for market share."
Under EU Digital Services Law, Telegram complies with lawful court orders by disclosing only IP addresses and phone numbers of suspects—never the content of their messages. "We have never transmitted a single byte of private messages," Durov stated.
Despite the recent legislative win, Durov warned that the fight for encryption is far from over. In March, the European Commission proposed a similar initiative to implement "backdoors" in messaging apps across the European Union.
Although Durov positions Telegram as an end-to-end encrypted messenger, he has faced criticism for overstating its security. For instance, in 2021, Signal founder Moxie Marlinspike claimed that even Facebook Messenger provides better privacy protection than Telegram, as end-to-end encryption (E2EE) is only enabled in "secret chats" and not by default for all conversations.
