Telegram billionaire Chief Executive Officer Pavel Durov vowed to resist Russian authorities’ attempts to restrict access to the popular messenger in order to make people use the Kremlin-backed app Max.
“Russia is restricting access to Telegram in an attempt to force its citizens to switch to a state-controlled app built for surveillance and political censorship,” Durov said in a statement on his platform. “Restricting citizens’ freedom is never the right answer. Telegram stands for freedom of speech and privacy, no matter the pressure.”