How to protect your Telegram account

Telegram is a well-secured messenger, but not all privacy and security settings are activated by default.

For your account to be under maximum protection, look at the following settings:

1. Two-factor authentication

The most important protection for your account. If a password is not set, you can lose your profile by intercepting SMS during authorization, by duplicating a sim card, actions of special services through employees of mobile operators. Two-factor authorization is enabled in the following path: Settings - Privacy - Two-step authentication.

After entering the password, you will be prompted to enter an email address through which you can recover the forgotten password.

Maximum protection is given by a password without specifying an email address. So the possibility of hacking the account will be minimized, but there will be a chance to forget or lose the password, which will lead to the complete loss of the account without the possibility of its recovery, more on this in a separate article.

2. Code password

Settings - Privacy - Passcode

Additional protection for your application is a code for it, similar to the one that is installed on your device itself. You can choose to unlock by fingerprint or Face ID, or just a code. You can set auto-blocking after a certain period of time, or block the application manually. Such protection largely duplicates the protection of your mobile device and is often redundant, but it may be necessary if you do not set a password for accessing your phone or computer.

3. Number visibility

In Telegram, as in other messengers, it is possible to import contacts to check whether an account is registered to a specific number, so unscrupulous individuals or organizations can create Telegram user bases. So recently the base of 40 million Telegram users leaked.

It is important to hide your number both for those who found themselves in such databases and for those who do not want to see themselves in them in the future.

Settings - Privacy - Phone number

The visibility structure of the license plate can be clearly seen in this table.

By default, Telegram has the My contacts item and your number will be visible only to those who had your number and those whose number you have.

By checking the Nobody checkbox, you forbid those who are in your notebook but do not have your phone number, to see your number, and you also open another menu:

4. Who can find me by number

By choosing the My contacts option, you will hide your profile from unknown people. Having entered you into the phone book, Telegram simply will not show the seeker that your profile is in the messenger. Such a setting can make it difficult to find your contact in Telegram, for those whom you have not added to your notebook, decide for yourself that privacy or openness to new people is more important to you.

Maximum protection is to disable synchronization of contacts in Telegram. By default, a subscriber clogged in your phone book can see your number via Telegram. For example, if, for some reason, your local police officer, operative, or government official's phone number is jammed, and he, reading some protest chat, will see your number, as it is in your address book.

Search here: Settings -> Privacy and Security -> Contacts> Turn off sync contacts

5. Prevent displaying avatars and profiles when forwarding messages

You can hide your profile picture from unknown users and prevent them from going to your profile through messages forwarded from you. In addition, you can change your real name to a pseudonym - this is suitable for those who try to maintain maximum confidentiality in the messenger. Do not use the username that you have set in other social networks, last name or email address. This makes it easy to figure out.

Privacy settings look here:

Settings - Privacy - Photo on the avatar

Settings - Privacy - Forwarding Profile

In conclusion, we want to remind you that there is no perfect protection as long as there is a possibility to hack your phone, mail, or force to unlock your device. Social engineering is the most common hacking method. Protect your devices and do not fall for the tricks of scammers and punitive authorities.

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~ Translated Using Google Translator ~