Pavel Durov, the founder of Telegram, reacted harshly in his post to the desire of a number of European countries to ban or heavily regulate social media users.
Earlier on February 4, Durov spoke specifically about the Spanish government’s plans to impose such restrictions. “Pedro Sanchez’s government is introducing dangerous new regulations that threaten your freedoms online. Announced the day before, these measures under the guise of ‘protection’ could turn Spain into a surveillance state,” the Telegram creator wrote.
He emphasized that the planned ban on access to social networks for those under 16 with mandatory age verification does not only concern children, but also requires platforms to strictly verify, for example, the presence of identity cards or biometric data.
“This provides a precedent for tracking the identity of every user, undermines anonymity, and opens the door to mass data collection. What starts with minors can spread to everyone, stifling open dialog,” – Durov wrote.
Continuing this theme, the entrepreneur outlined the connection between the ban’s demands and the discontent rating of politicians. He believes that the lower the rating of a political leader, the more bans and restrictions for social networks he proposes. Thus, unpopular leaders seek to shield themselves from criticism and shift the arrows of citizens’ discontent from real problems to imaginary ones.
According to Morning Consult, a recognized international research company that publishes monthly data on the approval of leaders in different countries, the top five “leaders” in the rating of dissatisfaction with politicians include:
– Emmanuel Macron, President of France: 13% approval, about 80% disapproval of policies;
– Keir Starmer, Prime Minister of Great Britain: 23% approval and 67% disapproval;
– Friedrich Merz, Chancellor of Germany: 36% and about 60%;
– Jonas Gahr Støre, Prime Minister of Norway: 37% и 61%;
– Pedro Sanchez, Prime Minister of Spain: 33% and 61%.
