Free speech and online privacy: Pavel Durov's rise to the top
16 Março 2025 - 2:30PM
Cointelegraph


Telegram founder and free speech advocate Pavel Durov was born
on Oct. 10, 1984, in St. Petersburg, Russia, and demonstrated an
early knack for computer science, culminating in the entrepreneur
establishing several successful online social media platforms.
While studying at Saint Petersburg State University, Durov
became inspired by the success of the Facebook social media site
and its founder, Mark Zuckerberg — eventually starting the
social media
platform VKontakte (VK) in 2006.
VK is a platform similar to Facebook but geared toward Russian
speakers, and it is one of the largest social media platforms in
the world.
A picture of Pavel Durov as a teenager. Source:
Cointelegraph
The meteoric growth of the platform eventually attracted the
attention of state regulators, who pressured the company to censor
the platform and comply with government requests to provide user
information.
Durov refused to comply with these requests out of a principled
stance on freedom of speech, online expression, and user privacy,
which caused the tech founder to be ousted from the company he
started in 2014.
However, the tech founder was already hard at work on his next
venture before departing VK, a messaging platform that has become a
household name in crypto — Telegram.
Related: TON
Society celebrates Pavel Durov leaving France as free speech
win
Pavel and his brother Nikolai Durov launch Telegram
The Durov brothers launched Telegram in 2013. Since then, the
platform has garnered over 950
million users worldwide due to its privacy-enhancing
technology, which encrypts messages end to end.
Telegram also has robust features that include decentralized web
surfing, a torrent of
mini-apps and games.
The platform also has a symbiotic
relationship with The Open Network (TON) — a separate
blockchain network that has become a staple for users of the
messaging application.
The Telegram founder discussing messaging applications at
TechCrunch’s Disrupt conference. Source:
TechCrunch
According to Forbes, the Telegram founder
has a net worth of $17.1 billion as of March 16, 2025 — mainly
through his ownership of Telegram.
In March 2024, the entrepreneur announced that
Telegram was
nearing profitability and was considering an initial public
offering to become a publicly traded company.
Pavel Durov is a libertarian and has infused the liberty-minded
ethos into Telegram. In a January 2025 post, Durov
wrote:
"I am proud that Telegram has supported freedom of
speech long before it became politically safe to do so. Our values
don’t depend on US electoral cycles."
The Telegram founder's libertarian ethos, commitment to free
speech, and privacy eventually put the entrepreneur in the
crosshairs of the French government.
Pavel Durov arrested in France amid cries of
politically-motivated censorship
Pavel Durov was arrested in
France on August 24, 2024, due to a lack of content moderation
on Telegram, and subsequently
charged by French prosecutors with complicity with illegal
activities and refusal to communicate with authorities.
Durov speaks with independent news host Tucker Carlson about
free speech and privacy shortly before his arrest in August 2024.
Source: Tucker
Carlson
Shortly after his arrest, the Telegram founder posted bail and
was released from custody on the condition that he remain in France
during the legal proceedings.
The arrest sparked widespread outrage among the
crypto community and free speech advocates worldwide, who condemned
the French government for using state power in an attempt to coerce
Pavel Durov into censoring the platform or giving the government
the Telegram encryption keys.
French President Emmanuel Macron was accused of orchestrating a
politically motivated arrest, a claim the French
leader denied, which only prompted more backlash from the
crypto community.
On March 15, Pavel Durov reportedly left
France and headed to Dubai, where Telegram is headquartered,
after receiving permission from French law enforcement officials to
leave the country.
However, it is unclear how long Durov will remain in Dubai, as
the global fight for freedom of speech, privacy, and autonomy
continues.
Magazine: Did
Telegram’s Pavel Durov commit a crime? Crypto lawyers weigh
in
...
Continue reading Free speech and online privacy:
Pavel Durov's rise to the top
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Free speech and online privacy: Pavel Durov's rise
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