Telegram founder Pavel Durov has issued a stark warning to users in Spain, accusing Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez's government of pushing the country toward becoming a "surveillance state" under the guise of protecting minors and combating disinformation. The criticism targets a series of proposed regulatory changes announced by Sánchez on February 3, 2026, at the World Governments Summit in Dubai.
The proposed measures, which Sánchez framed as a move to "reassert democratic control" and "take back control" from social media, include several contentious points. First, a ban on social media access for individuals under 16, requiring mandatory and strict age verification using IDs or biometrics. Durov warns this erodes anonymity and sets a precedent for mass data collection on all users. Second, the plan would impose personal and criminal liability on social media platform executives for content deemed "illegal, hateful, or harmful," a move Durov argues will force over-censorship and silence dissent.
Further proposals include criminalizing the algorithmic amplification of so-called harmful content and mandating platforms to track and report their "hate and polarization footprint." Durov contends these vague definitions could be weaponized to suppress government criticism and control public discourse.
The backlash has been swift. Privacy advocates, cypherpunks, and figures like billionaire Elon Musk have ridiculed the proposals, with critics arguing they are about control, not child protection. The news also highlights the role of blockchain technology, with Boris Bohrer-Bilowitzki, CEO of the Concordium blockchain, suggesting it could offer a cryptographically secure method for proving personhood without revealing identity details—a potential alternative to invasive age checks.
For the crypto sphere, the news carries specific weight due to Telegram's deep integration with blockchain. Telegram is the primary development and community platform for The Open Network (TON), a decentralized Layer-1 blockchain originally created by Durov. The platform's commitment to encryption and resistance to government overreach is a core part of its appeal to crypto users, making regulatory threats to digital privacy a direct concern for the TON ecosystem.
