Telegram co-founder Pavel Durov says the Iranian government’s effort to block the messaging platform has largely failed, with tens of millions of users in the country continuing to access it through virtual private networks and similar tools. Durov made the remarks on Friday, noting that Iran banned Telegram years ago but has been unable to prevent widespread use. The situation highlights the limits of state-imposed digital controls when decentralized technologies are available to ordinary users.
VPNs work by routing internet traffic through servers located around the world, masking users’ true IP addresses and concealing their physical locations. This allows individuals to bypass national internet restrictions imposed by their governments. Durov has pointed to technologies such as blockchain, cryptocurrency, and encrypted messaging as tools capable of mitigating or neutralizing state surveillance infrastructure and online censorship.
The government of Iran imposed a nationwide internet blackout in January 2026 amid growing protests and civil unrest. The blackout remains in effect due to the ongoing conflict involving Israel, the United States, and Iran. Despite the sweeping restrictions, residents have found alternative means of staying connected, including through Starlink, a satellite-based internet network that the government has also banned but has been unable to fully suppress.
Another tool gaining traction inside Iran is BitChat, a messaging application that operates over Bluetooth radio waves rather than traditional internet or satellite infrastructure. The app forms a mesh network by turning each device into a relay node that passes data to other nearby devices running the same application. This architecture allows communication to occur entirely outside of conventional online and satellite-based systems, making it particularly difficult for authorities to block.
BitChat drew significant attention in September 2025 when the government of Nepal imposed a social media ban amid widespread protests. The app was downloaded more than 48,000 times in Nepal during the week the ban took effect. That same month, the Nepali government was removed from power by protesters, underscoring the role that unrestricted communication tools can play during periods of political upheaval.
A comparable surge in BitChat downloads was recorded in Madagascar around the same period, also coinciding with protests and political instability in the country. The pattern across multiple nations suggests that government attempts to restrict digital communication during civil unrest can accelerate adoption of decentralized and offline-capable messaging tools. Proponents of such technologies argue they are essential for preserving individual freedoms in environments where state control over information is expanding.
Originally reported by CoinTelegraph.
