Pavel Durov has warned that the European Union’s new age-verification app could evolve into a broader system for online identity tracking, as questions continue over its security design and long-term use.

Singapore Summit: Meet the largest APAC brokers you know (and those you still don't!).

The warning adds to tensions between Telegram and European authorities. Durov has previously faced scrutiny in France over platform compliance Compliance In finance, banking, investing, and insurance compliance refers to following the rules or orders set down by the government regulatory authority, either as providing a service or processing a transaction. Compliance concerning finance would also be a state of being following established guidelines or specifications. This designation can also encompass efforts to ensure that organizations are abiding by both industry regulations and government legislation. Understanding ComplianceCompliance is a In finance, banking, investing, and insurance compliance refers to following the rules or orders set down by the government regulatory authority, either as providing a service or processing a transaction. Compliance concerning finance would also be a state of being following established guidelines or specifications. This designation can also encompass efforts to ensure that organizations are abiding by both industry regulations and government legislation. Understanding ComplianceCompliance is a Read this Term and moderation. The situation reflects ongoing regulatory pressure on Telegram across Europe around content oversight and cooperation with authorities.

Telegram Chief Flags EU Verification Risk

In a post on X, Durov cited findings by security consultant Paul Moore, who said the EU’s age-verification app could be bypassed within minutes. The claim raised concerns over how user authentication is linked to identity data.

• TikTok Moves to Form Separate US Venture with Oracle After Years of Delay
• Gold Falls 6.8% After Reaching Record Peak, Largest Single Day Drop in Five Years
• NBA Star Kevin Durant Can’t Dig Up His Bitcoin While a Man Digs Through a Dump

The European Commission said the system is ready for rollout. First introduced in July 2025, it is designed to verify whether users are over 18 without exposing personal data. Commission President Ursula von der Leyen described it as “completely anonymous.”

The “age verification app” the EU wants to impose on the world got hacked in 2 minutes.

Step 1: Present a “privacy-respecting” but hackable solution.
Step 2: Get hacked (you are here).
Step 3: Remove privacy to "fix" it.

Result: a surveillance tool sold as “privacy-respecting”.

— Pavel Durov (@durov) April 17, 2026

Durov rejected that view, calling the system “hackable by design” and warning it could later be expanded into broader identity verification across online platforms.

Russian Officials React to Durov Case

Following Durov’s detention in France, the Russian embassy in Paris said it had taken diplomatic steps to clarify the reasons for his arrest, demanding consular access and assurances over his rights, while claiming French authorities had not cooperated. The embassy later said on Telegram that it remained in contact with Durov’s legal team.

The case drew wider political reaction online, with Elon Musk resharing an earlier interview of Durov under the hashtag #FreePavel.

Russian officials framed the detention as part of broader concerns over free speech and governance in Europe. Lawmakers and diplomats, including Andrei Klishas and Mikhail Ulyanov, criticised the move as a sign of democratic decline.

Former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev said Durov had misjudged geopolitical realities, arguing he remained viewed through a Russian lens in Western jurisdictions.