Durov rejects Russia terrorism allegations

• Telegram founder Pavel Durov denied allegations linking the platform to terrorism.
• Durov said Telegram does not support mass surveillance or censorship.
• The dispute adds to scrutiny of messaging platforms widely used by cryptocurrency communities.

Telegram founder Pavel Durov denied allegations linking the messaging platform to terrorism after comments from Russian authorities.

Durov said Telegram's refusal to support mass surveillance and censorship had made the company a target.

Durov said Telegram has never disclosed users' private messages, has never built encryption backdoors, and would rather leave a market than weaken user privacy.

Durov said Telegram complies with legal requests where required but does not provide governments with access to private messages.

Telegram is widely used by cryptocurrency projects to communicate with users, developers and investors.

The platform has faced scrutiny in several countries over privacy, encryption and content moderation.

The latest dispute highlights the ongoing debate between governments seeking greater oversight and technology companies defending user privacy.