Telegram’s Russian Founder Answers Privacy Concerns Amid Russia-Ukraine Conflict

The controversial messaging application, Telegram, has once again found itself in the spotlight. CEO Pavel Durov had a few words to say regarding the privacy and security provided by the app and many have been left wondering about the true intent behind the 37-year-old’s message.

In his public Telegram channel, the Russian CEO posted a throwback of his history of protecting user data from the Russian government. Durov reminisced of his connections to both Ukraine and Russia, stating:

If you follow my posts, you know that on my Mom’s side, I trace my family line from Kyiv. Her maiden name is Ukrainian (Ivanenko), and to this day we have many relatives living in Ukraine. That’s why this tragic conflict is personal both to me and Telegram. Some people wondered if Telegram is somehow less secure for Ukrainians because I once lived in Russia.

Telegram was co-founded by brothers Pavel and Nikolai Durov who had previously created VKontakte, the Russian equivalent of Facebook. Pavel Durov commented:

Nine years ago I was the CEO of VK, which was the largest social network in Russia and Ukraine. In 2013, the Russian security agency, FSB, demanded that I provide them the private data of the Ukrainian users of VK who were protesting against a pro-Russian President … I refused to comply with these demands because it would have meant a betrayal of our Ukrainian users. After that, I was fired from the company I founded and was forced to leave Russia.

During the Russia-Ukraine conflict, the messaging platform became a vital source of information. Previously, the Russian government had tried to shut down Telegram but dropped the initiative in 2020.

Durov called out the concerns of the public, claiming that he did not compromise user data back then, and does not wish to do the same.

Durov concluded:

Many years have passed since then. Many things changed: I no longer live in Russia, no longer have any companies or employees there. But one thing remains the same – I stand for our users no matter what. Their right to privacy is sacred. Now – more than ever.

Telegram also wrote in its channel:

Telegram’s multi-national team includes many members from Ukraine. We all wish for an immediate end to the conflict.

Experts worry that chats in Telegram are not end-to-end encrypted, making the platform vulnerable to hacks. Users have to trust that the platform will not expose user data to the government.