Pavel Durov warns of the ‘imminent demise’ of the free internet

We are approaching a “dark, dystopian world” in which governments are steadily stripping users of privacy, Telegram’s founder Pavel Durov said.

According to Durov, “once-free countries” have lately been introducing increasingly “dark” measures.
Digital IDs in the UK
As an example, the Telegram founder cited the introduction of a national digital-identity system in the UK.

Officials say this will help combat illegal employment and simplify access to key public services. Citizens have objected to the so-called BritCards, likening the idea to plots from George Orwell’s books.

Immediately after the announcement, a petition appeared on the government’s website; at the time of writing it had more than 2.8 million signatures.
Age verification in Australia
Durov also mentioned Australia, where from December 2025 authorities will begin rolling out an age-verification regime. It will cover nearly all digital services — from search engines and social networks to app stores and AI assistants.

The authorities plan a multi-pronged approach that includes:
analysis of account histories;
face-based age estimation
checks of driver’s licences and other documents.
All users, whether or not they have registered accounts, will have to verify. For those under 18, a safe-search mode will be enabled automatically, filtering inappropriate content.

As The Guardian notes, supporters of the initiative, including children’s rights groups, point to a recent case involving Grok by Elon Musk. The app contains a pornographic chat, yet in the Apple Store it still carries a “12+” rating.

Amid the risk of restrictions and a tragic incident involving a teenager, OpenAI has already launched a separate version of ChatGPT with parental controls for users under 18.

Experts have called the new rules “a monstrous and excessive reaction”. Ordinary users are unhappy too.
The EU’s “Chat Control”
The European Union is currently weighing a contentious “Chat Control” bill. It would introduce a system to scan private communications using AI algorithms, ostensibly to detect child sexual-abuse material.

The measure would apply to services with end-to-end encryption such as Telegram, WhatsApp and Signal. It could also mandate age verification across all digital platforms.

Users, including Ethereum founder Vitalik Buterin, have criticised the bill and launched a campaign called Fight Chat Control. According to the organisation’s website, 12 countries support the initiative and nine oppose it.

On October 9, Germany rejected the bill. However, as Signal president Meredith Whittaker noted, “the fight isn’t over.” The matter now goes to the European Council. In April, Buterin called privacy a foundation of personal freedom and decentralisation that protects society.