Pavel Durov, the founder of Telegram, marked his 41st birthday with a somber reflection on the state of the internet. He expressed his disappointment, stating that the idea of a free and open internet is rapidly fading. Durov warns that his generation might be the last to experience true digital freedom before governments worldwide impose strict controls, resembling dystopian scenarios. He believes that the internet, once a platform for free information exchange, has been transformed into a tool for control. Western democracies, according to Durov, are leading the way with policies like mandatory digital IDs, online age checks, and mass scanning of private messages. He also highlights the treatment of online dissenters in Germany, arrests in the UK for tweets, and investigations into tech leaders in France. Durov's post emphasizes the urgency of the situation, stating that his generation is running out of time to save the internet as they knew it. He criticizes the belief that progress means discarding past values, such as privacy, sovereignty, free markets, and free speech, which he sees as a betrayal leading to destruction. Durov's comments sparked a mix of reactions online, with some users supporting his concerns about shrinking digital freedoms and others questioning his silence on internet restrictions in his home country, Russia.
