Pavel Durov, the founder and CEO of Telegram, recently celebrated his 41st year but did not even want to celebrate his birthday.
Rather, he wrote a moving piece about time, responsibility, and the state of the internet as it is now.
The billionaire businessperson said that his generation is having a time shortage in a bid to safeguard the internet and make it a free place to communicate.
A Personal Reflection
Durov, in his post, said that it is a milestone in his life, but he does not feel like celebrating.
Rather, he is emphasizing bigger international agendas, especially dangers to online liberty and confidentiality.
He has pointed out that the internet, which had been constructed as a free expression vehicle, is being threatened more by the emerging laws, regulations, and mass surveillance practices.
Durov’s message is indicative of his lifelong desire to ensure the internet is not censored by what he perceives to be increasing constraints.
He gave the example of digital IDs in the UK, age checks online in Australia, and mass scanning of messages in Europe.
In his opinion these actions are transforming the internet into an instrument of authority as opposed to an instrument of liberty.
To Durov, his 41st birthday was not only a personal occasion but also a leap forward, reminding him of the urgency of protecting the global digital rights.
He also thinks that there must be action taken by the leaders, innovators, and ordinary users in order to avoid a dark and dystopian future on the Internet.
Telegram and the Fight for Internet Freedom
Telegram has never identified itself as a privacy conscious messaging service.
Telegram does not promote data collection and encryption backdoors since it withstands such manipulations, contrary to other applications, which is the key to keeping all users privately separate as Durov claims.
His birthday post is also a reminder of the purpose of the platform to offer safe communication instruments to individuals worldwide and be in opposition to censorship and surveillance.
The reflection offered by Durov is not limited to his company.
Most digital rights candidates concur that the net has never had this level of challenges, and governments and organizations have been pushing to ensure that more control is exercised over web based activity.
Durov is not merely making people more aware of these issues but he is urging individuals and organizations to act before it is too late by speaking out about those issues.
No matter how successful and wealthy he is Durov does not entirely concentrate on personal celebrations but instead on bigger societal problems.
He would have people look at the larger picture the future of online freedom, privacy, and security.
The point that he is making is to ensure that all people using the internet take action against digital rights and preserve internet space in a manner that is beneficial to the generations to come.
To sum up, the event of turning 41 in the life of any person is an important one however, Pavel Durov took the important opportunity to share something meaningful and urgent.
The point of time, contingency, and mission is what he encourages people to think about.
To him, the milestone does not represent a celebration but rather the reflection, awareness, and taking of action to provide a safe, free, and open internet to all the users.
