Telegram's Durov slams Spain's online age verification proposal

The proposed laws are meant to create a mass-surveillance state and are not about protecting children, Pavel Durov warned on Wednesday.

Pavel Durov, the co-founder of the Telegram messaging platform, sounded the alarm about the Spanish government’s plan to usher in online age verification and restrict social media platforms for individuals under the age of 16.

The proposed law will lead to increased government-led censorship of online content, breaches of privacy through de-anonymizing users and mass-surveillance, Durov said on Wednesday.

Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez announced on Tuesday that the country will enact online age verification policies seen in other parts of Europe, including the United Kingdom.

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