Telegram founder praises privacy in crypto, worries about future of secure hardware

During a conversation with Tucker Carlson, the enigmatic head of Telegram, Pavel Durov, warned that advancements in surveillance technology could potentially threaten cryptocurrencies’ emphasis on privacy and security.

Although more governments are getting involved in privacy issues, Telegram CEO Pavel Durov remains hopeful about the future. He believes that individuals can safeguard their privacy through advanced technologies, which are reminiscent of those already thriving in the cryptocurrency sector.

In a recent conversation with Tucker Carlson, Durov expressed his belief that innovative hardware communication devices will emerge in response to growing concerns about online privacy. He pointed out that the cryptocurrency industry has already tackled this issue through the use of hardware wallets.

“I’m a believer in looking on the bright side. Just as we currently have hardware wallets to safeguard our cryptocurrencies, I envision the emergence of new secure gadgets for communicating sensitive information. These could potentially be used for sending encrypted messages or making secured voice calls.”

Pavel Durov

In discussion about other cryptocurrency projects, Durov brought up Telegram’s creation, The Open Network. However, this initiative encountered resistance from the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) back in 2019.

Telegram received financial support from external sources in the past. We sold bonds three years ago and previously worked on a cryptocurrency project that collected funds. However, no one was granted ownership or controlling votes in our company when it comes to equity.

Pavel Durov

In October 2019, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) stopped Telegram from releasing its token named Gram through a court order. The SEC believed that Telegram’s initial coin offering (ICO) was against securities laws since they hadn’t registered the tokens as securities before selling them to investors.

Around the start of 2018, Telegram garnered nearly $1.7 billion by selling its Gram tokens to private investors. Yet, the SEC accused the company of not registering the sale of approximately 2.9 billion digital tokens to initial investors globally, including 1 billion to U.S. residents.

In defiance of the ban, Telegram’s blockchain project persisted, fueled by blockchain advocates who rallied behind its values at the outset. Subsequently, Telegram strengthened its connection to the TON ecosystem. A significant development was the introduction of Toncoin, the native cryptocurrency of the project, which became an accepted payment method in Telegram’s advertising revenue-sharing platform for channel owners.

The one-hour video was filled with intriguing details besides the reason Durov relocated Telegram’s headquarters to Dubai and the story about the attempted robbery following his encounter with Jack Dorsey in San Francisco.

Read More

2024-04-17 14:31