How Safe is Telegram ?

Proton

News that Telegram founder and CEO Pavel Durov has been arrested and charged on a wide range of charges, including fraud, drug trafficking, organized crime, and the promotion of terrorism, has thrown a spotlight on the unmoderated nature of the controversial messaging platform. But is Telegram safe to use? As we’ll discuss, that very much depends on how you use it.

Transcript

00:00Telegram's reputation for security fell under scrutiny following the 2024 arrest of its

00:05founder, Pavel Durov, in France.

00:08He was later released.

00:10What is Telegram?

00:11Launched in 2013, Telegram is a cloud-based messaging app that lets its over 500 million

00:17users send text, voice, and video messages and share files.

00:21Its popularity is partly due to its perception of strong security, which is bolstered by

00:26the fact that countries like Iran, Russia, and Indonesia have tried to ban it.

00:31What is Telegram used for?

00:33Telegram is most popular in countries with strict censorship, like Iran, where it has

00:37over 40 million users.

00:39Its public channels, which can be created with aliases and unique URLs, are effective at disseminating

00:45information and organizing resistance, but minimal moderation makes them vulnerable to

00:50abuse.

00:51Is Telegram end-to-end encrypted?

00:53Contrary to popular belief, many Telegram features lack end-to-end encryption.

00:59Channels and group chats are not end-to-end encrypted, meaning Telegram can access that

01:03user data.

01:05Secret chats offer end-to-end encryption for one-on-one conversations, but it's not

01:09enabled by default.

01:11Users must manually turn it on for each secret chat.

01:14Does Telegram collect metadata?

01:16Telegram's privacy policy states it may collect metadata like IP addresses, device information,

01:22and user name history, and retain it for up to 12 months.

01:25However, this data is sensitive.

01:27As former NSA and CIA director Michael Hayden said, we kill people based on metadata.

01:33Is Telegram safe?

01:35Depends on how you use it.

01:36By default, Telegram's one-to-one chats aren't end-to-end encrypted.

01:40Other apps, such as Signal or WhatsApp, provide end-to-end encryption by default.

01:45Telegram users are also identified by their real phone numbers, which can be hidden from

01:49other users but are always visible to Telegram itself.

01:53Safer options exist, but in countries where Telegram is popular and blocked, ProtonVPN offers

01:58a secure way to access it.

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