Pavel Durov, founder of Telegram, says Google and Apple are the real enemies of free speech on the Internet due to their monopoly on the distribution of mobile applications

Pavel Durov, Russian computer scientist and founder of Telegram, said that governments are not the biggest obstacles to free speech on the Internet, but Google and Apple. The entrepreneur bases his claim on the fact that Apple and Google own the two main app stores in the world, and that it is their rules that control free speech online. In the past, messaging had to comply with Google and Apple rules in order to remain in their application stores. Telegram campaigned extensively against these monopolies before the advent of EU laws on digital markets and services.

Pavel Durov gave an interview to American journalist Tucker Carlson last month. During the interview, the entrepreneur addressed points such as the pressure exerted by the Russian government on his former social network VKontakte and which pushed him to leave Russia, freedom of expression and the omnipresent role of large firms like Apple and Google in the digital economy. He mentioned attempts at interference by governments in the management of Telegram and seemed to praise billionaire Elon Musk, who said he bought the social network X (formerly Twitter) to guarantee freedom of expression.

Between Dourov and Big Tech, it is not true love. Although his public outings are rare, he never misses an opportunity to criticize these big companies who, according to him, harm the idea of ​​a free and private Internet. During the interview, Durov complained about the hegemony of Google and Apple. He said it’s not governments that most hinder free speech on the Internet, but Apple and Google, which firmly control all users’ interactions with their smartphones, including the apps they can install. , things they can read, and many more.

According to Dourov, it is the strict controls put in place by Google and Apple in their application stores, Google Play Store and App Store respectively, which determine which platforms people can use to communicate “in complete freedom”. If you think about it, almost everyone in the world who has downloaded a smartphone app has done so through these two platforms, which represents enormous power, so much so that governments are trying to make pass legislation to take some of that power away from companies like Apple and Google.

Dourov thinks it is difficult not to agree with the general guidelines of these platforms, which stipulate for example that there should be no violence, discrimination or sexual abuse of children on the platforms distributed through their stores. But Telegram had to remove content because of Apple and Google, although Durov believed it was a “legitimate way for people to express their opinions”. He added that Apple and Google ban anyone who doesn’t follow their rules, which pushes developers to accept sometimes anti-competitive terms.

He explains that the rules themselves are quite general, because it is obvious that there must be no violence, discrimination, child pornography material accessible to the public. However, Durov emphasized that in practice, the interpretation of certain rules can be a source of disagreement between these platforms and developers, including Telegram. According to him, sometimes Apple and Google agree, and that is to their credit. But sometimes they don’t agree, and the company still has to remove certain content, at least in the version of Telegram that is distributed on their platforms.

Durov told Carlson that he and Telegram moved to Dubai in 2017 to avoid being “gopolitically aligned” or “picking winners in any political fight.” “I prefer to be free rather than taking orders from anyone,” the entrepreneur said. The idea to create Telegram came to him after pressure from Russian security forces over his refusal to remove opposition groups on VKontakte. Its problems emerged in 2011-2012, when the social network began to be used to organize large-scale protests.

According to Durov, the Russian government asked to ban groups organizing protests, but VKontakte refused. He did not want to take sides with anyone and advocated freedom of expression and assembly. In 2013, Russian security forces and authorities requested that the personal data of people who participated in protests in Ukraine be released to them. They requested data on the administrators of the groups supporting Euromaidan. Durov says he was faced with a choice: give in his principles or sell his shares, step down as CEO and leave the country.

He chose the second option. VKontakte, co-founded by Pavel Durov in 2006, later came under the control of Kremlin-aligned tycoons and is now run by the son of a Kremlin insider. According to him, rumors about Telegram’s links with Russian authorities are widespread and supported by competitors who do not appreciate the growth of Telegram’s audience. Durov also claimed that during his last visit to the United States, the FBI tried to secretly recruit one of Telegram’s developers to create a backdoor into the messaging system. According to him, the FBI’s attempt was foiled.

It should be noted that Telegram, which presents itself as a safe and secure communication tool, does not use end-to-end encryption by default for private and group chats. End-to-end encryption is only available for calls and its “secret change” feature. However, Telegram recently questioned the security of Signal, an open source messaging service that is fully end-to-end encrypted. Dourov predicts that Telegram, which has 900 million active users, will cross the milestone of 1 billion active monthly users within a year.

Due to his penchant for freedom of expression, Durov does not want to open offices in Russia, the United States or China. Which suggests that the conditions necessary for the development of Telegram are better in Dubai than in these countries. Durov assures that he is the sole owner of Telegram. He would be the business leader and sole project manager. In addition, the entrepreneur believes that this allows the service to grow more quickly. There is no human resources department and Telegram has around 30 engineers. He refuses to bother with shareholder questions.

Telegram is not yet planning to go public and sell shares, because Durov does not want to report a large number of shareholders, which could slow down development. Furthermore, Durov said during the interview that he appreciates that Elon Musk bought Twitter (renamed X) and made it a private company. It supports what the founder of Tesla and SpaceX is doing to grow the social network and how he is innovating, even through trial and error. He appears to be one of Musk’s few supporters on the issue.

And you ?

What do you think of the Telegram social network and its security?
What do you think of the allegations made by Pavel Durov against Google and Apple?
Do you share his opinion? Are Google and Apple destroying the free and private Internet through their actions?
Do you think Dubai is a better place for Telegram development than Russia, USA and Europe?

See as well

Telegram co-founder Pavel Dourov calls for law to force Apple to allow iOS users to download apps through stores other than the App Store

Messaging app Telegram is expected to surpass 1 billion active monthly users within a year as it spreads like “wildfire”, billionaire founder Pavel Durov says

Telegram has launched an intense campaign to denigrate Signal as an insecure app. Elon Musk, once a Signal supporter, decided to question the app’s security