What you're agreeing to

Telegram's Terms of Service outline the rules of usage, services they provide, and user responsibilities. They also discuss the terms under which services might be terminated and disclaim liabilities.

Privacy in plain English

Telegram's Privacy Policy details how the platform collects your data, such as phone number and contacts, to provide its services. It also emphasizes that Telegram implements encryption for user communications and limits data sharing with third parties.

Terms of Service Breakdown

Concerning Clauses

• The service has the right to modify terms at any time without notice.
• Users are required to abide by local laws, but the service does not specify oversight mechanisms.
• Certain features may be subject to additional terms, which may not be easy to discover.

Data Sharing

• Telegram commits to not voluntarily share private user data with any government or other organization.
• Law enforcement data requests are reviewed under strict legal procedures.
• Limited third-party data sharing is used for service, billing, or delivery functions.

Known Incidents

• None reported.

Privacy Policy Breakdown

Privacy Issues

• The platform stores user data to improve its service without specifying retention periods.
• End-to-end encryption for secret chats is implemented, but regular chats are stored with server-side encryption.
• They collect metadata for services like spam detection and user support improvements.

Who Gets Your Data

• Telegram states no data is sold to third parties for advertising purposes.
• Law enforcement data access has strict legal barriers.
• The policy articulates the use of data processors that are contractually bound for privacy.

Safer Alternatives

Similar services with a lower risk score.