Credits: CNN
Pavel Durov, the founder of Telegram, just turned 41, and rather than congratulate him, he posted a rather dismal message: that the free internet is in intensive care, and most people are sleeping at the wheel.
He points to things happening in the UK (systems of online identity), Germany (criminalizing online speech), and France (attacking people based on encrypted data), and calls it "mass surveillance" and "government-controlled internet".
It contextualizes differently when you remember that last year, Durov was arrested upon landing his private jet in France. Durov rejected an inquiry from the authorities, was charged with encryption "violations" (which is a highly subjective charge), and was charged with failing to moderate Telegram content. Ironically, even the authorities of the Kremlin, with whom he had a famous quarrel, were quoted in the media claiming that Durov was being attacked politically.
He claims this is not about safety; it is about power. Governments are scared by encrypted tools. He essentially proclaimed that if "we" don't overthrow freedom today, this may be the last generation that has an idea of what it means to be online and free.
It all feels a little overwhelming. Are “we” sleep walking into an online prison?
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