Spain has accused Pavel Durov of “spreading lies” and undermining democratic institutions after the Telegram founder used the messaging app to attack government plans to introduce a social media ban for under-16s and hold tech companies responsible for harmful content.
In a blanket message sent to all Telegram users in Spain on Wednesday, Durov claimed the proposed regulations could turn Spain “into a surveillance state” and would lead to “over-censorship”. Spanish government sources hit back, saying Durov’s intervention was designed to erode trust in institutions and demonstrated the need for regulation.
“Telegram founder Pavel Durov used his unrestricted control of the app to send a mass message to all users in Spain, spreading several lies and making illegitimate attacks against the government,” they said. “Spaniards cannot live in a world where foreign tech oligarchs can flood our phones with propaganda at will.”
The incident follows Durov’s arrest in Paris in August 2024 on charges related to alleged criminal activity on Telegram, which he denies. The Spanish government statement also accused Durov of designing Telegram to facilitate criminal activities such as child sex trafficking and drug trafficking.
Growing tensions between European governments and tech leaders have intensified, with France also raiding X’s headquarters this week over alleged cybercrime. Australia became the first country to ban under-16s from social media in December.
