On April 21, Telegram founder Pavel Durov posted on his personal channel that France almost banned encryption technology last month. The Senate passed a law requiring messaging apps to provide access to private messages for law enforcement. Fortunately, this law was vetoed by the National Assembly. However, three days ago, the Paris Police Chief defended it again. Members of the National Assembly wisely vetoed the law, otherwise France would have become the first country to deprive citizens of their right to privacy.
This law aimed at preventing drug trafficking would actually be of no help in fighting crime. Even if mainstream encrypted apps are weakened by backdoors, criminals can still communicate securely through dozens of smaller applications.
"As I said before, this is why Telegram would rather exit a market than weaken encryption through backdoors and violate fundamental human rights. Unlike some competitors, we will not sacrifice privacy for market share."
In Telegram's 12-year history, not a single byte of private messages has ever been leaked. According to the EU Digital Services Act, Telegram will only disclose the IP address and phone number of a suspect if a valid court order is received—not message content.
Last month, freedom prevailed. But this reminds us that we must continuously explain to legislators that encryption technology is not designed to protect criminals—it protects the privacy and safety of ordinary people. Losing this protection would be tragic.
