Telegram’s Pavel Durov criticises Spanish PM’s plan to ban social media for under-16s as “dangerous” and a threat to internet freedoms, echoing Elon Musk’s attacks
MADRID: Telegram founder Pavel Durov has joined Elon Musk in criticising Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez’s plan to ban social media for under-16s.
Durov described the proposed regulations as “dangerous” in a post on his messaging platform.
He warned the measures could turn Spain into a surveillance state under the guise of protection.
“These measures could turn Spain into a surveillance state under the guise of ‘protection’,” he wrote.
Durov argued mass data collection and censorship would result from their enforcement.
Spanish government sources countered that Durov’s message to all Spanish users was full of lies.
They said it demonstrated the urgent need to regulate social media and messaging apps.
Prime Minister Sanchez announced the series of measures to protect minors from harmful content.
He also pledged to change Spanish law to hold tech CEOs criminally liable for illegal content.
Sanchez responded to the criticism on X with a quote adapted from “Don Quixote”.
“Let the techno-oligarchs bark, Sancho, it’s a sign that we are riding,” he wrote.
Elon Musk had earlier called Sanchez a “tyrant and traitor” in a string of posts.
The SpaceX boss is already embroiled in a spat with Sanchez over migrant regularisation.
Spain’s move follows Australia, which introduced a similar ban in December.
France, Greece and Denmark are also leading a push for similar steps in the EU.
