Does Durov have family living in Russia? If he does, there's always a way to lean on him if Putin decides it could be of value to the national interests.
I think so yes, but by that logic you cannot even trust Open Whisper Systems (who provide the encryption for WhatsApp, Signal, and Facebook Messenger). I mean, with that high stakes there is big enough incentive for global temporary cooperation among some intelligence agencies to lean on Moxie (or someone else’s) family.
Edit: not meant as a whataboutism, Russia would certainly be more aggressive in doing so, and Durov is an easier target.
OWS does not provide the encryption for those services, they just designed the protocol and helped them implement it. I don't mean to be pedantic, but words matter in this circumstance.
