Data Collection Policies of Telegram: A Deep Dive

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Telegram, often lauded for its privacy-centric approach, operates with a distinct data collection policy compared to many mainstream messaging applications. While it emphasizes user security and minimal data retention, a closer look reveals specific types of data it collects and how it handles them. Understanding these policies is crucial for users to assess their privacy on the platform.

At its core, Telegram adheres to two fundamental privacy principles: it claims not to use user data for advertising purposes and only to store data essential for its services to function as a secure and feature-rich messaging app. This stands in contrast to business models that rely heavily on user data for targeted advertising.

Basic Account Data:
To create a Telegram account, users are required to telegram data provide a mobile number. This number serves as a unique identifier. Additionally, users may provide a profile name, profile picture, and "about" information. While Telegram doesn't require a real name, gender, or age, the chosen screen name, profile picture, and username (if set) are always public to facilitate discovery by contacts. If Two-Step Verification is enabled, a recovery email address may also be collected, stored separately, and used only for authentication codes.

Messages and Media:
This is where Telegram's data handling becomes more nuanced.

Cloud Chats (Regular Chats): The vast majority of Telegram chats are "cloud chats." Messages, photos, videos, and documents from these chats are stored on Telegram's servers. While this data is "heavily encrypted" at rest and in transit, Telegram technically holds the encryption keys across various data centers. This cloud storage enables seamless syncing across multiple devices, allowing users to access their chat history from any logged-in device without relying on third-party backups. However, it also means Telegram could theoretically access these messages if compelled by a legal authority, though they maintain a policy of resisting such requests and distributing encryption keys across different jurisdictions to prevent localized access.
Secret Chats: These chats offer true end-to-end encryption (E2EE). This means the encryption keys are held only by the sender and recipient's devices. Telegram explicitly states that it does not store secret chats on its servers and keeps no logs for messages in them. Consequently, secret chats are device-specific and do not sync across multiple devices. Media sent in secret chats is also encrypted with a separate key unknown to the server.
Contacts:
Telegram requests permission to sync your phone contacts to notify you when they join the app and to display their names properly in notifications. It states that it only needs the number, first name, and last name for this function and stores no other data about your contacts. Users can stop syncing contacts or delete them from Telegram's servers through their privacy settings.

Metadata:
Telegram does collect some metadata. This can include your IP address, devices and Telegram apps you've used, and history of username changes. This metadata can be stored for up to 12 months. Telegram states it uses aggregated metadata to help create new features and to detect, prevent, or address fraud or security issues.

Public Content:
Content posted in public channels and public groups (which are cloud chats) is accessible to everyone. While this data is also encrypted in storage and transit, its public nature means it is not private.

Data Sharing with Authorities:
Historically, Telegram has been known for its strong stance against government requests for user data. However, there was a significant shift in its policy in late 2024. Telegram now states it will share IP addresses and phone numbers of users suspected of criminal activities with relevant authorities if presented with a valid legal order that confirms the user is a suspect in a case violating Telegram's Terms of Service. Telegram has pledged to publish quarterly transparency reports on such data sharing incidents. This change primarily affects metadata for users involved in illegal activities, as the content of E2EE Secret Chats remains inaccessible to Telegram.

In summary, Telegram's data collection policies prioritize functionality and a level of privacy above many competitors, particularly through its Secret Chat feature and a stated commitment against advertising. However, the default cloud chat encryption and the recent policy shift regarding data sharing with law enforcement for criminal cases are critical aspects that users should be fully aware of when assessing their overall data safety and privacy on the platform.