'We're Running Out Of Time': Telegram's Pavel Durov Warns Of 'Dystopian' Future For Internet

Telegram founder Pavel Durov has once again warned of a 'dystopian' future where the free internet may cease to exist. The Russian-born CEO took to social media to state he was turning 41 but did not feel like celebrating his birthday as the current generation was "running out of time" to save the internet.

"I'm turning 41, but I don't feel like celebrating. Our generation is running out of time to save the free Internet built for us by our fathers," wrote Durov on X (formerly Twitter).

Durov criticised governments for introducing rules and systems that he believes limit privacy and freedom online.

"What was once the promise of the free exchange of information is being turned into the ultimate tool of control. Once-free countries are introducing dystopian measures such as digital IDs (UK), online age checks (Australia), and mass scanning of private messages (EU)," he said.

"Germany is persecuting anyone who dares to criticise officials on the Internet. The UK is imprisoning thousands for their tweets. France is criminally investigating tech leaders who defend freedom and privacy."

He said a 'dark, dystopian' world was fast approaching while "we are asleep" as the generation risks going down in history as the last one that had freedom.

"We've been fed a lie. We've been made to believe that the greatest fight of our generation is to destroy everything our forefathers left us: tradition, privacy, sovereignty, the free market, and free speech," said Durov.

"So no, I'm not going to celebrate today. I'm running out of time. WE are running out of time."

Check the viral post here:

I'm turning 41, but I don't feel like celebrating.

Our generation is running out of time to save the free Internet built for us by our fathers.

What was once the promise of the free exchange of information is being turned into the ultimate tool of control.

Once-free countries…

— Pavel Durov (@durov) October 9, 2025

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'You're Not Wrong...'

As of the last update, Durov's post had garnered nearly eight million views and hundreds of comments, with the majority agreeing with his assessment.

"You are not wrong, sh*t is getting worse around the world, and most people think everything is getting better. We have a lot of work ahead," said one user, while another added: "I'm 64. I am truly shocked at what's happening in the Western world. Specifically in Europe."

A third commented: "All of this is true, and deeply concerning. That's exactly why we must build censorship-resistant and privacy-preserving systems."

Durov has long been vocal about data privacy. In August, he said that he would "rather die" than allow third parties access to Telegram messages.