In an explosive interview with Tucker Carlson, Pavel Durov, Russian-born Emirati–French entrepreneur and the founder of the popular instant messaging app Telegram, made shocking revelations about the U.S. government’s attempts to infiltrate the application widely known for its strong stance on user privacy.
Durov claimed that the FBI expressed interest in creating a ‘backdoor’ into the Telegram app, ostensibly to spy on users.
This, according to Durov, was a significant factor in his decision to reconsider establishing the company’s headquarters in San Francisco, opting for a global, decentralized approach to avoid U.S. government pressure.
“We received too much attention from the FBI, the security agencies, wherever we came to the US,” Durov recounted, noting how Biden’s FBI intensified their focus whenever his team was in the U.S.
“Last time I was in the U.S., I brought an engineer working for Telegram, and there was an attempt to secretly hire my engineer behind my back by cybersecurity officers,” he said.
Carlson pressed on, asking whether the U.S. government aimed to employ Durov’s engineer to crack Telegram or write code for them.
“They were trying to persuade him to use certain open-source tools that would be integrated into Telegram’s code, which, in my understanding, would serve as backdoors,” Durov said.
This revelation brings to light the U.S. government’s purported efforts to undermine the privacy and security that Telegram promises its users.
According to Durov, such a backdoor would not only enable the U.S. to spy on Telegram users but potentially other governments as well.
“FBI wanted to establish a relationship to control Telegram better. But for us, running a privacy-focused social media platform, that probably wasn’t the best environment to be in,” he said.
After the FBI’s interference, Durov abandoned the idea of establishing his company in San Francisco.
WATCH:
Telegram founder @durov explains to @TuckerCarlson how the US government tried to secretly hire his engineer to create “back doors” for officials to spy on users.
“For us running a privacy focused social media platform that probably wasn’t the best environment to be in.” pic.twitter.com/d8sFvmDuk4
— Tucker Carlson Network (@TCNetwork) April 16, 2024
Durov also told Tucker Carlson that he was contacted by the Democrats after January 6th because “they wanted the data of people who were demonstrating in Washington or wherever they were doing.”
“After the events of January 6th, we received a letter from, I believe, congressmen of the Democratic side. They requested we would share all the data we had in relation to what they called this “uprising.” We checked it with our lawyers, and they said, “You better ignore it.” But the letter seemed very serious, and the letter said, “If you fail to comply with this request, you will be in violation with the US Constitution,” or something like that,” Durov said.
He continued, “Two weeks after that letter, we got another letter, a new letter from the Republican side of the Congress. And there we read that if we give out any data according to the previous request, we would be in violation of the US Constitution. Constitution. We got two letters that said, Whatever we do, we’ll be violating the US Constitution in a way. That was my understanding of these letters.”
“The same way we respond to most such requests, we decided to ignore them because it’s such a complicated matter related to internal politics in the U.S.,” he said.
WATCH:
Telegram founder @durov explains to @TuckerCarlson how the US government tried to secretly hire his engineer to create “back doors” for officials to spy on users.
“For us running a privacy focused social media platform that probably wasn’t the best environment to be in.” pic.twitter.com/d8sFvmDuk4
— Tucker Carlson Network (@TCNetwork) April 16, 2024
Durov emphasized his intention for Telegram to remain politically neutral. “We want the platform to remain neutral and not take any sides,” he said.
This stance, however, has not shielded the app from controversy. Telegram recently made headlines following the deadly Moscow terror attack, with investigations revealing that the attackers were recruited via the messaging platform.
Durov’s commitment to privacy has been a cornerstone of Telegram’s philosophy since its inception in 2013. Founded by Pavel and his brother Nikolai Durov, Telegram has soared in popularity, particularly in regions like Asia, Africa, and Europe, due to its strong encryption protocols and user-friendly design.
Telegram has gained significant traction as a privacy-centric platform, especially in regions where freedom of speech is under threat. The app’s rise in popularity was notably accelerated by the increased censorship and account bans on other social media platforms, like Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube, for content that contradicted their narratives.
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You can watch the full episode below:
Ep. 94 The social media app Telegram has over 900 million users around the world. Its founder Pavel Durov sat down with us at his offices in Dubai for his first on-camera interview in almost a decade. pic.twitter.com/NEb3KzWOg8
— Tucker Carlson (@TuckerCarlson) April 16, 2024
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