Telegram CEO Pavel Durov warned Friday that the European Union’s new age-verification app could become a stepping stone for broader online identity tracking, after the European Commission said the system was technically ready for rollout.
In a Telegram post, Durov cited analysis by security consultant Paul Moore, who examined the app’s technical design and said it could be hacked “in under two minutes.” Moore added the system can be tricked so an age check isn’t reliably tied to the real user or their device.
Moore warned the product could trigger a major breach, and Durov argued the security flaws go beyond age checks. He said the app’s weaknesses could be used over time to justify expanding identity verification across online services in Europe.
The debate mirrors wider concerns as regulators in multiple regions push similar age-verification systems, raising questions about security and digital identity infrastructure.
System promoted as “completely anonymous”
The European Commission released the first version of its age-verification blueprint in July 2025 to let users prove they are over 18 without revealing other personal data. The framework was developed as an open-source project intended to preserve privacy and to support future interoperability with European Digital Identity Wallets.
EC President Ursula von der Leyen said the EU’s age verification app is “technically ready,” describing it as “completely anonymous” and asserting users can verify their age without being tracked or exposing personal information. But researchers’ claims that the system can be bypassed in minutes have cast doubt on whether those privacy and security promises will hold in practice.
Durov said the app is “hackable by design,” suggesting its architecture makes exploitation easy, and warned that it could be repurposed into a surveillance mechanism. “The EU bureaucrats needed an excuse to silently start turning their ‘privacy-respecting’ age verification app into a surveillance mechanism over all Europeans using social media,” he posted.
Durov, a prominent advocate for free speech and digital privacy, is also under judicial investigation in France over allegations tied to illegal activity facilitated through Telegram, including organized crime and fraud, and for the platform’s alleged failure to cooperate with authorities.
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