Telegram: facts no, propaganda
Emilia - Last update: 23 September 2024- Telegram FAQ
- Terms of Service
- Privacy Policy
- Changes: FAQ, Terms of Service and Privacy Policy
- Durov's Channel
- Respect for the law vs freedom of expression
- Articles on Telegram and other messaging services
- Comments on Durov's arrest
- Conclusions
Telegram FAQ
Q: What are your thoughts on internet privacy?
We think that the two most important components of Internet privacy should be:
- Protecting your private conversations from snooping third parties, such as officials, employers, etc.
- Protecting your personal data from third parties, such as marketers, advertisers, etc.
Telegram's aim is to create a truly free messenger, with a revolutionary privacy policy.
Q: There's illegal content on Telegram. How do I take it down?
All Telegram apps have 'Report' buttons that let you flag illegal content for our moderators — in just a few taps.
On Telegram for Android, tap the message and select Report from the menu. On iOS, press and hold the message. On Telegram Desktop, Web or Telegram for macOS, right-click the message and select Report. Then choose an appropriate reason.
You can also use our automated takedown email address abuse@telegram.org. If you're sending an email takedown request, please make sure to include links (like t.me/... or @...) to the content on Telegram which you think needs attention from our moderators.
Users from the EU are welcome to study the User Guidance for the EU Digital Services Act for the relevant reporting options.
Note: If a scammer is pretending to be you, contact @NoToScam
Q: A bot or channel is infringing on my copyright. What do I do?
Private groups and chats on Telegram are private amongst their participants. We do not process any requests related to them. However, Telegram also supports sticker sets, bots, channels and groups that are publicly available.
If you see a bot, channel, sticker set, or other content that is a part of Telegram’s public platform and is infringing on your copyright, kindly submit a complaint to dmca@telegram.org. Please note that such requests should only be submitted by the copyright owner or an agent authorized to act on the owner’s behalf.
Q: Do you process take-down requests from third parties?
Our mission is to provide a secure means of communication that works everywhere on the planet. To do this in the places where it is most needed (and to continue distributing Telegram through the App Store and Google Play), we have to process legitimate requests to take down illegal public content (e.g., sticker sets, bots, groups and channels) within the app. For example, we can take down sticker sets that violate intellectual property rights or porn bots.
Public content on Telegram, such as user-uploaded stickers sets, channels, and bots by third-party developers, is not part of the core Telegram UI. Whenever we receive a report regarding potentially illegal public content, we perform the necessary legal checks and take it down when deemed appropriate.
Please note that this does not apply to local restrictions on freedom of speech. For example, if criticizing the government is illegal in some country, Telegram won't be a part of such politically motivated censorship. This goes against our founders' principles. While we do block terrorist (e.g. ISIS-related) bots and channels, we will not block anybody who peacefully expresses alternative opinions.
Terms of Service
By signing up for Telegram, you accept our Privacy Policy and agree not to:
- Use our service to send spam or scam users.
- Promote violence on publicly viewable Telegram channels, bots, etc.
- Post illegal pornographic content on publicly viewable Telegram channels, bots, etc.
- Engage in activities that are recognized as illegal in the majority of countries. This includes child abuse, selling or offering illegal goods and services (drugs, firearms, forged documents), etc.
For users accessing Telegram within the European Union, the User Guidance for the EU Digital Services Act constitutes an integral part of our Terms of Service.
Privacy Policy
If Telegram receives a valid order from the relevant judicial authorities that confirms you're a suspect in a case involving criminal activities that violate the Telegram Terms of Service, we will perform a legal analysis of the request and may disclose your IP address and phone number to the relevant authorities. If any data is shared, we will include such occurrences in a quarterly transparency report published at: https://t.me/transparency.
Changes: FAQ, Terms of Service and Privacy Policy
No substantial changes, only improvements against illegal use of the platform.
Durov's Channel
- 2018: "Privacy is not for sale, and human rights should not be compromised out of fear or greed."
- 2019: "Every one of us is going to die eventually, but we as a species will stick around for a while. That’s why I think accumulating money, fame or power is irrelevant. Serving humanity is the only thing that really matters in the long run."
- 2019: a Europol report shows Telegram's commitment by praising it for countering ‘alleged’ terrorism. (See Don't Shoot the Messenger).
- 2021: an FBI document shows that Telegram is one of the communication services that by default provides the least to third parties, including authorities.
Respect for the law vs freedom of expression
Earlier this week, it was reported a number of government agencies had asked Roskomnadzor, Russia's media and internet regulator, to lift the formal ban on the messenger to allow them to use it legally. On its part, Roskomnadzor said the U-turn was made possible by Telegram's "willingness" to help their efforts to counter terrorism and extremism. In early June, Pavel Durov, Telegram's founder said that his team had developed ways to "catch and delete extremist and terrorist content".
The reasons for the change in behaviour after the unsuccessful block in 2018 are unknown. Probably Telegram started to close channels with extremist and terrorist content in line with its FAQ and Terms of Service.
2022 Is Telegram Sharing User Data with Government Agencies?
Contrary to what has been publicly stated so far, the operators of the messenger app Telegram have released user data to the Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA) in several cases. According to SPIEGEL information, this was data from suspects in the areas of child abuse and terrorism. In the case of violations of other criminal offenses, it is still difficult for German investigators to obtain information from Telegram, according to security circles. Der Spiegel report
Telegram cooperated with the German authorities to combat child abuse and terrorism as described in its FAQ and Terms of Service.
2022 Telegram shares users’ data in copyright violation lawsuit
Telegram has disclosed names of administrators, their phone numbers and IP addresses of channels accused of copyright infringement in compliance with a court order in India in a remarkable illustration of the data the instant messaging platform stores on its users and can be made to disclose by authorities. “Telegram stores very limited or no data on its users. In most cases, we can’t even access any user data without specific entry points, and we believe this was the case here. Consequently, we can’t confirm that any private data has been shared in this instance,” Telegram spokesperson Remi Vaughn told TechCrunch.
Telegram provided the data (administrators' name, phone number and IP address) in its possession following a court order. This is in line with its FAQ and Privacy Policy.
2023 Iraq lifts ban on Telegram after messaging app complies with authorities
The ministry said it lifted the ban because of the “response of the company that owns the application to the requirements of the security authorities,” which required Telegram to reveal sources leaking data of officials and citizens, according to a translated statement. Telegram has shown commitment to communicating with authorities about security concerns, the ministry said, insisting that it “doesn’t stand against freedom of expression.” “We can confirm that our moderators took down several channels sharing personal data. However, we can also confirm that no private user data was requested from Telegram and that none has been shared,” the company told the publication in a statement.
Telegram has cooperated with the authorities by continuing to respect freedom of expression as described in its FAQ and Terms of Service.
Articles on Telegram and other messaging services
- How really secure and private is Telegram
- What are the features of a secure and private communication service
Comments on Durov's arrest
- Snowden: The arrest of @Durov is an assault on the basic human rights of speech and association. I am surprised and deeply saddened that Macron has descended to the level of taking hostages as a means for gaining access to private communications. It lowers not only France, but the world.
- Snowden: First they came for Tiktok, and I did not speak out— Because I was not twelve years old. Then they came for the Telegram, and I did not speak out—Because I was using some other app or sth idk. Then they came for literally every other platform for dissent, and I did not speak out—because bro how tf could i that's the entire point wake up wake up wa—
- Craig Murray: So in short, the arrest of Pavel Durov appears to be pretty blatant abuse and only very tenuously connected to the legal basis given as justification. This is simply a part of the current rising wave of authoritarianism in western "democracies".
- Yen: The unsealed charges against Durov are insane. If sustained, I don't see how tech founders could possibly travel to France, much less hire in France. This is economic suicide and is rapidly and permanently changing the perception of founders and investors.
- Wikileaks: 12 charges against Telegram CEO Pavel Durov include "providing cryptology services aiming to ensure confidentiality without certified declaration" and six counts of "complicity" with alleged criminal activity by Telegram users.
- Maguire: Imagine: "The year is 1994 and Vint Cerf and Rob Kahn have just been arrested. Their invention (TCP/IP) is being used for drug dealers to communicate with each other and they were unwilling to install a back door.” The equivalent version of this just happened with Telegram.
- Musk: Because he already caved into censorship pressure. Instagram has a massive child exploitation problem, but no arrest for Zuck, as he censors free speech and gives governments backdoor access to user data.
Conclusions
Telegram only has e2e encryption in secret chats and 1:1 calls. If there had been e2e encryption everywhere, they could not have seized Durov to extort his encryption keys. The good thing is that if various governments have tried to bribe him like the US in 2017, to put him out of business like Russia in 2018 and France in 2024, to get access to the data it means that it is truly protected, otherwise they could have accessed it via other routes.
There is often much confusion between privacy and anonymity, whereas they are two very different concepts. Telegram can guarantee the former if used with the integrated proxy or with a third-party VPN, provided Durov is trustworthy; practically no service can guarantee the latter, not even Telegram using the anonymous numbers on TON.
The comparison between Assange, Snowden and Durov is about fighting for freedom of speech and expression and digital privacy without submitting to anyone.
Hopefully, Durov will learn the lesson and implement the missing e2e encryption as soon as possible. In the meantime, the following bugs can be voted on: