Tucker Carlson Interviews Telegram CEO and Founder Pavel Durov

By Sundance

Pavel Durov is the founder, owner, and CEO of Telegram, a communication platform used by 900 million people globally to text, chat and video message privately with encryption security.  Telegram is an excellent tool for safe communication and has been used by me and others I know for several years.

In this interview, Tucker Carlson discusses privacy and freedom in the modern era with Telegram founder and CEO Pavel Durov, a former citizen of Russia who was encouraged (under threat) by the Russian government to leave his country.  Pavel now lives in Dubai and operates Telegram from the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

For me personally, this is one of the best interviews I have watched Tucker Carlson deliver.  Part of the reason is the content of the discussion is exactly critical right now in the era of this global information war. There is so much I could discuss from this interview alone it is remarkable; however, I want to focus on two specific points as highlighted: (1) the government interface, and (2) the geopolitical inversion currently underway. 

First, I am in Russia. I arrived a few days ago, and this experience is a visit through a bizarre world.  I will be sharing more, including an AMA on my experience, in the next few articles.  Back to Pavel Durov, first…

The BASELINE – The Durov brothers are exceptionally gifted.  In reference to the principle of freedom and liberty that guides Pavel, he has my respect and I understand his value system with great clarity.  Pavel Durov recognized very early, much earlier than most, that information would be a fulcrum challenge, and without private communication the value of information is always eroded.  Privacy is critical in order for accurate information to flow.  That is the value of Telegram.

I continue to receive strong negative opinion for my cynicism of Elon Musk.  However, pay close attention to what Pavel Durov says about his contacts with U.S. government officials, and you will have a stronger baseline to understand part of why I do not trust Musk.

♦ THE TOUCHES – Durov controls Telegram.  Durov is the owner and proprietor of Telegram.  Durov talks openly about the *touches* from U.S. intelligence and government officials toward him and his communication platform.  He is very open about the contacts by FBI and various intel officials, and notes those conversations were always unnerving.

Now, we ask ourselves: why have we never heard Twitter owner/operator Elon Musk talking about this issue?

Beyond the decade plus of independent research on these issues, we get a very good context for how the IC approaches and interacts with the communication platforms from this interview with Pavel Durov.  What he shares does not have to be taken at face value because we have background with which to review it.   Everything he said aligns with all the research on these issues we have previously discussed.  Quite simply, he’s telling the truth as we know it to be.

That said, where is this conversation from Elon Musk?  Where is Musk discussing the government contacts and intentions of the intelligence apparatus, FBI, DHS and various Intelligence Community institutions toward the Twitter platform.

I cannot overlook that Elon Musk was talking about the importance of user privacy and security at the exact same time he was secretly complying with the DOJ to give the metadata of all Donald Trump supporters from his platform.  These things do not reconcile, and I refuse to pretend this conflict does not exist.

♦ The INVERSION – I call the change in freedom and liberty values West to East an inversion.  Pavel Durov does not note this directly, but he outlines the basic issues within his discussion and experience.

For decades, the USA and proverbial “west” transmitted messages of freedom and liberty into the “east.”  We are all familiar with radio and television broadcasts, and specifically the content therein, from the free West that were blocked by what we called the oppressive East.

There are millions of stories, movies, and books written describing how the west tried to send communication to the east showcasing the value of free markets, liberty, and freedom in general.   However, in the past 20 years, since the advent of the internet, something very curious has happened.

I can tell you from personal experience that now it is the WEST who are blocking the ability of the people from the EAST to receive the message.  If you're in the EASTERN zone (grey) and you attempt to engage in several communication platforms that connect to the WESTERN zone (yellow), you are more likely to find yourself blocked by the WEST.

Why would the USA or western alliance block the ability of those outside the west to engage with their platforms?  One could make the argument they are putting walls around the USA/WEST not to keep the East out, but to keep the west locked-in to a specific narrative.

In the example of Russia, I originally thought the blocking issue was exclusive to banking and finance; however, the restricted interface extends beyond those explainable by sanctions.  In the modern communication era, some information is more equal than others.

What Pavel outlines about the Russian government asking him for data on users, is identical to what the Twitter files outlined about the U.S. government asking the platform for users.  Pavel refused to participate; Jack Dorsey willingly participated.

More to follow…