Pavel Durov, the founder of Telegram, has called for the creation of secure communication devices modeled after cryptocurrency hardware wallets to counteract rising government surveillance.
In a recent conversation with Tucker Carlson, Durov drew parallels between the autonomy of cryptocurrency wallets and the need for privacy in communications, citing his own experiences with the FBI.
The discussion with Carlson also highlighted Telegram’s recent adoption of the blockchain-based cryptocurrency TON, which introduced a revenue stream for channel operators, while granting users greater say in ad placements.
TON recently became a top 10 cryptocurrency and is now ninth in market capitalization with over US$21 billion, according to CoinGecko.
The relevance of Durov’s proposition is heightened by Edward Snowden’s recent caution regarding the NSA’s potential to extend its surveillance reach through proposed amendments to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) 702 bill.
The suggested revisions could compel nearly all internet service providers to facilitate NSA surveillance efforts, significantly expanding the government’s surveillance capabilities.
