Pavel Durov Warns EU Age-Check App Could Open Door to Wider Tracking

Telegram CEO Pavel Durov has warned that the European Union’s new age-verification app could end up doing more than checking whether users are over 18. In a post on Friday, he argued that a tool presented as privacy-preserving could become the first step toward broader online identity checks across Europe.

His comments came only days after the European Commission published details of its age-verification framework and said the system was technically ready for implementation. Brussels says the tool is meant to let users prove they are above a certain age without sharing other personal information or having their activity tracked.

Brussels Says the App Protects Privacy but Critics See a Wider Risk

The Commission’s pitch is straightforward. Users should be able to prove they are old enough to access age-restricted services without handing over more data than necessary. Reuters reported this week that Ursula von der Leyen described the app as ready to use and said it would allow people to verify their age anonymously by uploading a passport or ID card.

Durov is pushing back on that framing. He pointed to criticism from security consultant Paul Moore, who said after reviewing the design that the system could be bypassed in under two minutes. Moore’s argument was that the age check could be separated from the real user or device, which would raise obvious questions about how reliable the system is in practice.

The First Security Questions Have Arrived Before the Rollout

That matters because age-verification tools rarely stay a purely technical story. If the first version proves too easy to get around, the usual response is not to abandon the idea, but to ask for stronger checks. That is the slope Durov is warning about. In his view, a narrowly framed age-check tool could become the foundation for wider identity controls across online services in Europe.

The Commission has said the framework is open source and built to preserve privacy, while also supporting future interoperability with European Digital Identity Wallets. Supporters see that as sensible long-term planning. Critics see the outline of a broader identity layer that could later be expanded if regulators decide the first system is not strict enough.

The Wider Debate Now Goes Beyond Telegram

This is why the argument is bigger than one app or one platform chief. Across Europe, governments are under pressure to stop children accessing harmful content online, but age checks tend to run into the same trade-off. The more robust they become, the more closely they start to resemble identity systems.

Durov has framed the issue in stark terms, saying the app could become a stepping stone toward wider surveillance of internet users in Europe. That is his interpretation rather than stated EU policy, but it lands in a debate that is already moving in that direction. Once age-gating becomes normal, the next question is always about scope: which services use it, how often users are checked and whether anonymity survives contact with real enforcement.

The Pressure Point Is What Regulators Do Next

The politics around Durov also matter. He has positioned himself as one of tech’s loudest voices on privacy and free speech, while at the same time facing legal scrutiny in France over alleged illegal activity linked to Telegram. That means his warning will not be taken at face value by everyone.

Still, the underlying issue is real enough. The EU is trying to build a system that can satisfy child-safety demands without drifting into routine identity checks, and that is a difficult line to hold. If early security concerns grow, or if the app proves too easy to bypass, the pressure for tighter verification will only increase. At that point, the real test will not be what the first version promised, but what the next version asks users to hand over.