FBI Wanted to Install Backdoor to Spy on Users, Telegram Founder Tells Tucker Carlson

The former Fox News anchor and conservative media personality divulged that he had set up an official Telegram channel for his Tucker Carlson Network, encouraging the public to “keep an eye on the announcements there.” The channel has already attracted more than 150, 000 subscribers.

Speaking with Tucker Carlson, Russian-born IT entrepreneur and co-founder of the Telegram social network Pavel Durov focused on a variety of topics, including his visit to the United States. The 39-year-old revealed that he was closely watched and monitored by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) during his time in the country.

“We got too much attention from the FBI, [and] the security agencies, wherever we came to the US,” Durov said during the interview released on Wednesday.

In an interview with US journalist Tucker Carlson, Telegram founder Pavel Durov described his experience with ubiquitous FBI agents following him everywhere.

“Whenever I would go to the US I would have two FBI agents greeting me at the airport, asking questions. One time I was… pic.twitter.com/3hWoUHXYKV

— Sputnik (@SputnikInt) April 16, 2024

According to the businessman, one of his top employees once told him that he had been approached by the US government. “There was an attempt to secretly hire my engineer behind my back by [US] cybersecurity officers,” Durov claimed.

He argued that those officers were trying to persuade the engineer to use “certain open-source tools,” which he would then integrate into Telegram’s code that, in Durov’s opinion, “would serve as backdoors” for hacking the platform.

The entrepreneur stressed that he believes what the employee said was true, adding, “There is no reason for my engineer to make up [such] stories.”

When asked if infiltrating Telegram's systems would allow the US government to spy on its users, Durov stated that he did not dismiss the possibility, acknowledging that any government could potentially carry out such an action. “A backdoor is a backdoor, regardless of who uses it," he underscored.

In an interview with US journalist Tucker Carlson, Telegram founder Pavel Durov complained about excessive attention from the FBI and other intelligence agencies “wherever we came to the US.”

Durov told Carlson how an intelligence agency attempted to convince his employee to… pic.twitter.com/IwwbABp5EH

— Sputnik (@SputnikInt) April 16, 2024

The 39-year-old tech tycoon noted that he had “personally experienced similar pressure” in the US, where law enforcement officials approached him on many occasions.

“Whenever I would go to the US, I would have two FBI agents greeting me at the airport, asking questions. One time, I was having breakfast at 9 am and the FBI showed up at the house that I was renting,” the businessman asserted. According to him, FBI agents knew what he and his team were doing, but the agents wanted the details.

“My understanding is that they [also] wanted to establish a relationship to in a way control Telegram better. I understand that they were doing their job. [But] for us running a privacy-focused social media platform, that probably wasn’t the best environment to be in. We want to be focused on what we do, not on government relations of that sort,” Durov pointed out.

The interview comes just a day after Carlson published the first post on his newly-created Telegram page, the Tucker Carlson Network, where users will “get all the latest updates, behind-the-scenes insights, and exclusive content.”

There are already more than 150,000 subscribers for the channel, and their number is growing with every passing second.

“Whatever we do, we'd be violating the US constitution” – Durov stunned by letters from Congress

In an interview with journalist Tucker Carlson, Telegram founder Pavel Durov explained how he was blackmailed by US lawmakers.

“After the events of January 6th, we received a letter… pic.twitter.com/LeKfjC6HOd

— Sputnik (@SputnikInt) April 17, 2024