This may come as a big surprise, but it turns out that Russian’s like their privacy too. Say what you will about the place, but they have a long-standing relationship with privacy. This is fully exemplified in the modern age by the creator of “Russian Facebook” Pavel Durov. Durov spoke recently siding with Apple and Tim Cook on the matter of encryption.
PAVEL’S SUPPORT FOR APPLE AND TIM COOK SHOULD BE NO SURPRISE
Durov’s latest creation, Telegram, is built on privacy. Its main purpose is a messaging app, but aside from that, it is a private app for private people. The fact that he is siding with Apple and Tim Cook on the matter of encryption should be no surprise to anyone. What is a surprise, is that his opinion holds any water. The Russian-based Telegram, while largely popular over there, is nothing compared to Facebook. Telegram has been growing wildly in Russia, but the story of its roots really shows the significance of Durov’s statement.
FROM RUSSIAN FACEBOOK TO GLOBAL NOTORIETY
After creating the “Russian Facebook” Vkontakte in 2006, Durov and his brother faced numerous hurdles against the Russian government. After refusing to hand over personal information to them, Durov was forced to flee the country. Buying citizenship in the Caribbean has allowed Durov to roam Europe freely and roam he does. Telegram is currently operating in a myriad of hotel rooms, apartments and AirBnb units that change every month or so. A tad different than Apple’s history but Durov and Tim Cook shares more in common than one may think.
THE CASE FOR PRIVACY
Tim Cook may not be shelling out $1 million of his own cash to fund Apple like Durov for Telegram, yet both take encryption very seriously. Add Facebook’s recent opinion on the matter and you can see that some of the biggest tech companies see encryption as a priority. Privacy breaching isn’t just something the Russian’s want to do, it’s something the whole word is concerned about. With groups like ISIS communicating on Facebook, Telegram and Twitter, the governments of the world have good reason to snoop around. That doesn’t mean that the rights of a consumer should be taken advantage of. Telegram, Apple, Tim Cook and Patel Durov are leading the way on this issue and it will surely inspire others to do the same.
