Telegram founder Pavel Durov told Tucker Carlson in April the U.S. government contacted one of the platform’s engineers to help them spy on users in an April interview.
“There was an attempt to hire my engineer behind my back by cyber security officers or agents,” Durov told Tucker.
He said the U.S. government was attempting to persuade his engineer to use specific tools in Telegram’s code that would grant governments access, enabling them to surveil users.
Telegram founder @durov explains to @TuckerCarlson how the US government tried to secretly hire his engineer to create “back doors” for officials to spy on users.
“For us running a privacy focused social media platform that probably wasn’t the best environment to be in.” pic.twitter.com/d8sFvmDuk4
— Tucker Carlson Network (@TCNetwork) April 16, 2024
“You’re confident that happened?” Tucker pressed Durov.
“Yes,” he stated. “There is no reason for my engineer to make up these stories.”
He claimed the FBI questioned him when he visited the U.S. When Tucker asked if he had committed a crime, Durov answered that the FBI was interested in Telegram.
“They knew I — left Russia,” he said. “They knew what we were doing, but they wanted details, and my understanding is that they wanted to establish a relationship in a way to control Telegram better.”
The FBI declined to comment, and the U.S. Department of Defense did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Police arrested Durov in France late Saturday, according to France 24. France’s OFMIN issued the arrest warrant, the agency tasked with protecting children from violence.
Durov is under investigation for allegedly “failing to take action” to prevent criminal activity on Telegram, the French outlet reported.
⚖️ Telegram abides by EU laws, including the Digital Services Act — its moderation is within industry standards and constantly improving.
✈️ Telegram’s CEO Pavel Durov has nothing to hide and travels frequently in Europe.
😵💫 It is absurd to claim that a platform or its owner…
— Telegram Messenger (@telegram) August 25, 2024
Durov shared a story May 8 on his Telegram channel about the app’s rival, Signal, having ties to U.S. Intelligence. He linked to a report by City Journal that stated Signal received $3 million in funding from the Open Technology Fund (OTF) — which is sponsored by the US government.
“It looks almost as if big tech in the US is not allowed to build its own encryption protocols that would be independent of government interference,” he said in the post.