Telegram founder Durov predicts more severe data breaches in France

Telegram founder Pavel Durov has commented on a major personal data leak in France, warning that such incidents could become even more widespread.

Sharing a post on X, he said France’s “Agency for Secure Documents” got hacked — names, addresses, emails and phone numbers of 19 million people leaked, Caliber.Az reports.

“Future leaks will become even uglier if the French government gets what it wants: access to encrypted chats and Digital IDs of social media users,” he wrote.

France’s “Agency for Secure Documents” got hacked — names, addresses, emails and phone numbers of 19 million people leaked.

Future leaks will become even uglier if the French government gets what it wants: access to encrypted chats and Digital IDs of social media users.

— Pavel Durov (@durov) April 20, 2026

The statement came in response to reports of a cyberattack on the French agency ANTS, which is responsible for processing applications and issuing official documents, including biometric passports, national identity cards, residence permits, and driving licences. It was founded in 2007.

French authorities have launched an investigation after the attack.

France’s Interior Ministry confirmed that attackers may have compromised users’ personal data.

By Bakhtiyar Abbasov