Since WhatsApp updated its terms of use and announced it would be sharing data with parent company Meta, many people have switched to the chat service Telegram. The chat app, which now has more than 500 million users, is said to be a safer alternative to WhatsApp. But is Telegram really that reliable and secure? In this article, we take a critical look at Telegram's privacy.
Telegram is a free chat service with a focus on security and speed. You can use the cloud-based chat app on your smartphone, tablet or computer. Telegram was founded by Russian brothers Nikolai and Pavel Durov in August 2013.
Like other chat services, Telegram lets you send text messages, images and videos. You can also share stickers, emojis, your location and voice messages. Video calling is also possible through Telegram. In Telegram, just like in WhatsApp, you can create groups. In Telegram, you can create groups up to 200,000 people, while in WhatsApp 200 people is the limit.
Unlike other chat apps, Telegram offers additional security features for chats. Read on to learn more about Telegram's security features.
The reason many people choose Telegram is because it is said to be more secure than WhatsApp. But how secure are you actually on Telegram?
The default chats in Telegram, also called cloud chats, do not have end-to-end encryption. End-to-end encryption is important for your privacy. It ensures that only sender and receiver can read the message. Without encryption, the chat service also has access to the chats. Telegram's privacy policy emphasizes that this data will not be used for advertising purposes. However, as we have seen with WhatsApp, this policy may change. The chat app updated its privacy policy in 2021 and announced it would share user data with other services of parent company Meta, including Instagram and Facebook.
Telegram does offer a "secret chat" feature. Messages, photos, videos and other files sent via the 'Secret Chat' feature are end-to-end encrypted, though. Only you and the recipient have the decryption key, so Telegram has no access to this data. The content of secret chats is not stored on Telegram's servers. The "Secret Chat" feature is available in Telegram's iOS and macOS apps. Later in the article you can read how to start a secret chat in Telegram.
Telegram is a cloud service. Messages, photos, videos and documents from cloud chats are stored via the cloud on Telegram's servers. Storage in the cloud has the advantage that content can be accessed from any device without using third-party backup. However, it also carries privacy risks. Control over the information being shared becomes less. Security experts believe it is safer if data is stored on users' devices.
Telegram uses a self-developed cryptographic protocol called MTProto. Security experts have criticized this encryption in the past. In 2015, for example, an audit of Telegram's public source code revealed that the encryption protocol was flawed and less secure than existing protocols. Experts believe it is better to use an existing protocol rather than a homemade protocol that has not been thoroughly examined by independent experts. Telegram maintains that the protocol is secure.
The MTProto protocol is aimed only at mobile devices and thus is not available on desktop. Therefore, the secret chat option with end-to-end encryption cannot be used on your desktop. In fact, 2018 research found that chat messages sent via Telegram for desktop are not encrypted at all.
When it comes to privacy, Telegram has two fundamental principles:
User data is not used to display advertisements.
We only store data that Telegram needs to function as a secure service.
Of course, it is nice that Telegram does not show personalized ads. Telegram does store some user data. This, of course, is not so good for your privacy. Below we tell you more about the information Telegram collects about users.
Telegram states that they store only the information necessary for the service to function properly. Looking at Telegram's privacy policy reveals that it is not much different from competitor WhatsApp. For a chat service that considers security very important, the information about collecting personal data is striking. Below you can read more about the information that Telegram collects.
Telegram states in its privacy policy that it protects users from spam and abuse. This is a positive thing, of course, but it ensures that the chat service gets certain information. This includes certain privacy-sensitive information, such as your IP address, what device you are using, all the usernames you have used on the platform and much more. This metadata can be kept for 12 months.
Moderators can also see flagged messages in Telegram. This, of course, is important for detecting spam and abuse. However, it also makes conversations less private than you might expect.
If you want to use Telegram, you need to give the chat app access to your contacts list. All your contacts are copied and stored by Telegram. The chat app says it needs this data to inform you when someone you know signs up for the chat app. The data would also be needed to properly display names in the service.
Telegram stores only your contact's first and last name and phone number. For a service that claims to consider privacy very important, this is still a bit disturbing. Moreover, this is an opportunity for Telegram to collect data from people who have not yet signed up for the app.
Telegram must comply with the European privacy law AVG/GDPR. Among other things, this means that Telegram must give you insight into the data the service has collected about you. Using the steps below, you can request a copy of the data Telegram has about you.
Roadmap: Retrieve Telegram data
Open Telegram.
In the search window where you can also search for users, type "@GDPRbot"
This bot can help you to:
Request a copy of all your data that Telegram stores.
Contact about data protection.
Click "start" and follow the steps. Type /access to export the data from Telegram.
To download the data, you will be redirected to Telegram desktop.
Make sure you have Telegram desktop installed and log in.
Go to Settings > Advanced -> Export Telegram data.
Choose which data you want to export and click 'Export'.
For security reasons, you can only start downloading after 24 hours. Telegram first notifies all your devices of the export request to make sure it is authorized. After 24 hours, you can repeat the request through the same device.
Telegram, unfortunately, is also increasingly used by criminals. Among other things, they use the app to distribute illegal images such as sex videos and child pornography. KPN security even concludes that Telegram is threatening to become a kind of low-threshold alternative to the dark web.
On Telegram, you can easily join groups that involve criminal cases. In addition, large groups can be created on Telegram with 200,000 participants. Moreover, the encrypted messages sent via the secret chat cannot be overheard by, for example, the police.
A lot of illegal computer software is also traded on Telegram that allows scammers to find out their victims' bank details. They can then use this data for phishing.
Chat groups on Telegram also incite riots and protests. The Rotterdam rioters also found each other through Telegram. In chat groups on the messaging service, the out-of-control demonstration was announced more than a day in advance.
Fearing protests, Telegram has been blocked in countries such as Iran, Pakistan and China. From 2018 to 2020, the popular chat app was also blocked in Russia. Access to the app was blocked because Telegram refused to allow Russian security services to access encrypted messages.
Since Russia invaded Ukraine in February, many major social media outlets such as Facebook and Instagram have been blocked there. Pavel Durov announced in late February that he was considering (partially) blocking Telegram in Russia and Ukraine because it was becoming a source of "unverified information." On these words, he received many requests from users not to restrict the operation of Telegram channels during the conflict, as it is the only source of information for them. In light of these requests, Durov decided not to block the chat app. Durov also revealed that the company does not have the capacity to stop fake news. He urged users to be suspicious of information published on Telegram channels. The Russian government also does not yet appear to be moving to block Telegram.
When products or services are offered for free, there is a chance that you are paying with "your personal information. You then give up a bit of privacy to use a service for free. We see this with Google and Facebook, for example. What about with Telegram?
Telegram itself states that they believe that fast and free messaging should be able to be 100% free. Telegram does not show ads in the app. Founder Pavel Durov largely self-funded Telegram. To keep the fast-growing chat app afloat, however, the company is now looking at revenue models.
Telegram founder Durov announced in December 2020 that Telegram will add paid features to keep the chat app running. There will also be an advertising platform for ads in public Telegram groups. Durov stressed that no ads will be shown in personal conversations and group chats. The features that are free now will remain free.
Durov says he is now paying the costs to keep Telegram running largely out of his own pocket. He let it be known in his statement that Telegram is not going to sell the company like WhatsApp's founders. "Telegram should continue to serve the world as an example of a tech company striving for perfection and integrity. And, as the sad examples of our predecessors show, that is impossible if you become part of a corporation," Durov said. By this he is referring to Facebook's acquisition of WhatsApp.
It is not known when the paid features will come and exactly what features they will be. Durov stressed that making a profit will never be an end goal for Telegram.
You can take some measures yourself to be more secure and anonymous on Telegram:
Send encrypted chats via 'secret chat'
Adjust your privacy settings
Use a separate phone number to log into Telegram
Use a VPN to hide your IP address
We explain these measures in more detail below.
Use the secret chat in Telegram
Secret chat is hidden in Telegram. The messages, photos and videos you send through this chat are end-to-end encrypted. We'll help you find this option:
Open Telegram.
Open the profile of the person you want to chat with by clicking on the profile picture.
Then click on the three dots in the upper right corner of the screen.
Choose "Start secret chat.
A chat opens in which end-to-end encryption is applied to the messages. At beginning chat you get a notification listing the secret chat features:
End-to-end encryption
No server storage
Self-destruct timers
Forwarding protection
You can set the self-destruct timer by clicking on the three dots at the top right of the chat window. Then click on "Set self-destruct timer.
Set the time here after which messages will be deleted. This self-destruct timer ranges from 1 second to 1 week.
You can now send messages without fear of someone watching.
In the chat overview, you recognize the secret chat because there is a green padlock in front of the chat partner's name.
By adjusting your privacy settings, you can ensure that you do not share your personal information with the more than 500 million other Telegram users. This is how you do it:
Open Telegram.
Click on the three dashes at the top left.
Go to Settings > Privacy and security.
Here you can specify who can see what:
Phone number
Last seen & online
Profile Photos
Forwarded messages
Calls
Groups
You can always specify who can see certain data: 'Everyone', 'My contacts' or 'No one'. For more privacy, it is recommended to choose 'My contacts' or 'No one'.
Using Telegram without your phone number
To use Telegram, you need a phone number. This phone number is shown to anyone you contact through the chat app. The phone number can also be used to search for you on Telegram. If you really want to chat anonymously, you may prefer to keep your personal phone number to yourself.
Telegram's dekstop and tablet app allows you to log in with a separate number. This phone number does not have to be linked to your smartphone. So you can use another phone number for this purpose.
The popular chat app WhatsApp lost many loyal users after the service was acquired by Facebook. Users were worried that WhatsApp would start sharing users' private messages with parent company Meta (formerly Facebook). Facebook's revenue model is based on ads and platform is known to collect information about users. Many users therefore switched to Telegram, known as the safer alternative.
Compared to Telegram, WhatsApp collects much more metadata. But Telegram also collects quite a bit of data. Especially for a chat service that considers privacy very important.
What most people don't realize is that Telegram, unlike WhatsApp, only offers end-to-end encryption for the "secret chats. Standard chats in Telegram are not encrypted and there is a possibility that someone could read them. WhatsApp does use standard end-to-end encryption.
Telegram in the past has regularly been in the news negatively because of their self-developed encryption protocol that is allegedly not as secure as other standard protocols.
If privacy is very important to you then Telegram is not the perfect solution either. Signal is a good alternative to Telegram and WhatsApp. Experts speak highly of the security and privacy of this chat app. All messages are encrypted end-to-end and the service has no revenue model that involves collecting data from users.
