Overview

• Durov wrote that the internet’s original promise of free information exchange is turning into a tool of control.
• He cited digital IDs in the United Kingdom, mandatory online age checks in Australia, and mass scanning of private messages in the European Union.
• He alleged that Germany prosecutes online critics, that Britain imprisons thousands over tweets, and that France is pursuing criminal probes of tech leaders who defend privacy.
• He warned that the current generation could become the last free one if societies abandon free speech, free markets, sovereignty, and privacy.
• His remarks were published on his Telegram channel and reported by Russian outlets TASS and RIA Novosti.