Founder and CEO of Telegram Pavel Durov
| Photograph Credit score: REUTERS
Telegram founder Pavel Durov on Wednesday joined Elon Musk in publicly criticising plans by Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez to ban social media entry for youth beneath 16 and to prosecute executives for hate speech on their platforms.
Durov mentioned in a message on Telegram to customers that Spain’s proposed legislative package deal would power social media platforms to assemble information on all customers, and its measures to curb hate speech would immediate platforms to strip content material to keep away from prosecution.
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The proposal by Sanchez would criminalise using algorithms deemed to be amplifying dangerous content material, and Durov, who is predicated in Dubai, mentioned this may enable governments to manage what customers see.
“These aren’t safeguards; they’re steps towards whole management. We’ve seen this playbook earlier than – governments weaponizing ‘security’ to censor critics,” he wrote on Telegram.
The Spanish prime minister’s workplace defended its plans, saying Durov’s mass message to all Spanish customers of Telegram confirmed the pressing want to manage social media and messaging apps to guard residents from deceptive info. It mentioned Durov took benefit of his “unrestricted management” of the app to message all Spanish customers, and accused him of spreading lies.
“Spaniards can not reside in a world the place overseas tech oligarchs can flood our telephones with propaganda at their will just because the federal government has introduced measures to guard minors and implement the legislation,” the workplace mentioned in a press release.
Sanchez, one of a dwindling band of leftist leaders in Europe, has been criticising know-how platforms since early final 12 months when he proposed ending anonymity on social media and linking customers’ information to a typical EU identification pockets.
His wider marketing campaign towards disinformation started earlier and was instigated by what he described as a right-wing smear marketing campaign towards his household over the investigation into allegations of affect peddling towards his spouse, Begona Gomez. She denies the accusations and the case is ongoing.
Spain joins international locations reminiscent of Britain, Greece and France in contemplating more durable stances on social media, after Australia in December turned the primary nation to ban entry to such platforms for kids youthful than 16.
Russian-born Durov was detained in Paris in August 2024 over alleged legal actions on the messaging app. In March 2025, he denied any wrongdoing.
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His message about the Spanish plans was forwarded from an account in his title to a channel that usually advises Telegram customers about safety and account points.
Musk, the proprietor of X, has additionally condemned Sanchez’s proposed measures, describing him in an X put up on Monday as “a tyrant and a traitor to the individuals of Spain”.
Representatives of Google, a part of Alphabet, TikTok, Snapchat and Meta didn’t reply to requests for touch upon Spain’s proposed measures.
Printed – February 05, 2026 11:05 am IST