Telegram CEO Pavel Durov has made a warning about a ‘dark, dystopian’ world that "is approaching fast". Taking to social media platform X, Durov wrote, “I’m turning 41, but I don’t feel like celebrating”.
The CEO argued that the generation is running out of time to save the free internet built by our fathers.
Durov, who founded Telegram in 2013 as a privacy-focused messaging platform, noted that the original promise of the internet as a space for the free exchange of ideas was being replaced by tools of government control.
He provided example such as IDs in the UK, mandatory online age checks in Australia, and proposals for mass scanning of private messages in the European Union as signs of growing restrictions.
“Germany is persecuting anyone who dares to criticize officials on the Internet. The UK is imprisoning thousands for their tweets. France is criminally investigating tech leaders who defend freedom and privacy,” Durov wrote.
He warned that these policies risked pushing the world toward a “dark, dystopian” future where freedoms would vanish. “Our generation risks going down in history as the last one that had freedoms — and allowed them to be taken away,” he wrote.
Durov claimed that the society was being misled into believing its main goal was to “destroy everything our forefathers left us: tradition, privacy, sovereignty, the free market, and free speech.”
Without a course correction, he said, the result would be “self-destruction — moral, intellectual, economic, and ultimately biological.”
Closing his message, Durov said he would not celebrate his birthday: “I’m running out of time. WE are running out of time.”
Social media reactions
Durov's post has garnered more than eight million views with thousands of comments. Majority of the people agreed with his assessment
"You are not wrong, sh*t is getting worse around the world, and most people think everything is getting better. We have a lot of work ahead," said one user, while another added: "I'm 64. I am truly shocked at what's happening in the Western world. Specifically in Europe."
A third commented: "All of this is true, and deeply concerning. That's exactly why we must build censorship-resistant and privacy-preserving systems."
Durov has long been vocal about data privacy. In August, he said that he would "rather die" than allow third parties access to Telegram messages
The CEO argued that the generation is running out of time to save the free internet built by our fathers.
Durov, who founded Telegram in 2013 as a privacy-focused messaging platform, noted that the original promise of the internet as a space for the free exchange of ideas was being replaced by tools of government control.
He provided example such as IDs in the UK, mandatory online age checks in Australia, and proposals for mass scanning of private messages in the European Union as signs of growing restrictions.
“Germany is persecuting anyone who dares to criticize officials on the Internet. The UK is imprisoning thousands for their tweets. France is criminally investigating tech leaders who defend freedom and privacy,” Durov wrote.
He warned that these policies risked pushing the world toward a “dark, dystopian” future where freedoms would vanish. “Our generation risks going down in history as the last one that had freedoms — and allowed them to be taken away,” he wrote.
I’m turning 41, but I don’t feel like celebrating.
— Pavel Durov (@durov) October 9, 2025
Our generation is running out of time to save the free Internet built for us by our fathers.
What was once the promise of the free exchange of information is being turned into the ultimate tool of control.
Once-free countries…
Durov claimed that the society was being misled into believing its main goal was to “destroy everything our forefathers left us: tradition, privacy, sovereignty, the free market, and free speech.”
Without a course correction, he said, the result would be “self-destruction — moral, intellectual, economic, and ultimately biological.”
Closing his message, Durov said he would not celebrate his birthday: “I’m running out of time. WE are running out of time.”
Social media reactions
Durov's post has garnered more than eight million views with thousands of comments. Majority of the people agreed with his assessment
"You are not wrong, sh*t is getting worse around the world, and most people think everything is getting better. We have a lot of work ahead," said one user, while another added: "I'm 64. I am truly shocked at what's happening in the Western world. Specifically in Europe."
A third commented: "All of this is true, and deeply concerning. That's exactly why we must build censorship-resistant and privacy-preserving systems."
Durov has long been vocal about data privacy. In August, he said that he would "rather die" than allow third parties access to Telegram messages
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