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Telegram founder Pavel Durov has joined Elon Musk in a fierce verbal attack on Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez over a proposed plan to ban social media for users under 16.
The “dangerous” new measures, announced by Sánchez in Dubai, also include holding tech CEOs criminally liable for failing to remove illegal or hateful content from their platforms.
Durov warned his users on Wednesday that the regulations could transform Spain into a “surveillance state,” arguing that such laws lead to mass data collection and censorship under the pretence of protecting minors.
Sánchez responded dismissively on X, using a modified Don Quixote quote to suggest that the “techno-oligarchs‘” criticism was proof his government was on the right path.
The confrontation escalated further when Spanish government sources accused Durov of spreading “lies” through mass messages to Spanish Telegram users, citing this as evidence of the “urgent need” for regulation.
Elon Musk had already weighed in on Tuesday, labelling the Prime Minister a “tyrant” and a “totalitarian.”
Spain’s move follows a similar ban in Australia, as several EU nations consider tighter age restrictions on digital platforms.
