How To Stay Safe On Telegram : The TRUTH About Security On The App
Summary
TLDRThis video script discusses the privacy and security concerns associated with using Telegram, a messaging app that many believe is private and secure due to its end-to-end encryption. The speaker argues that Telegram is not as secure as it claims, especially when compared to apps like Signal. They highlight that Telegram collects user data, including phone numbers, contacts, and IP addresses, and that its end-to-end encryption is limited to 'secret chats.' The script also touches on the potential for Telegram to be used by governments to monitor users and suggests alternative apps like Matrix for better privacy. The speaker emphasizes the importance of using secure communication tools, especially for those involved in sensitive activities, and provides tips for enhancing Telegram's security.
Takeaways
- 🚫 **Avoid Telegram for Privacy**: The script strongly advises against using Telegram due to its lack of privacy and security compared to other messaging platforms.
- 🔒 **Telegram is Not End-to-End Encrypted**: It clarifies that Telegram's standard chats are not end-to-end encrypted, which is a common misconception.
- 🌐 **Centralized Nature of Telegram**: The platform is centralized, which contradicts the idea of it being an alternative or decentralized tech solution.
- ❗️ **Telegram's Data Collection**: The script highlights Telegram's practice of collecting user data such as phone numbers, contacts, and IP addresses, raising privacy concerns.
- 📉 **Comparison with Signal**: It positions Signal as a more secure alternative to Telegram, emphasizing Signal's commitment to minimal data collection and true end-to-end encryption.
- 🛑 **Insecurity of 'Secret Chats'**: Even Telegram's 'secret chats' feature, which is supposed to offer end-to-end encryption, has limitations and might not be as secure as users believe.
- 🔑 **Telegram's Compliance with Law Enforcement**: There have been instances where Telegram has complied with data requests, which could compromise user privacy.
- 🌟 **Rise in Users Post-Facebook Outage**: The script mentions a significant increase in Telegram users following a Facebook outage, indicating a shift in platform preference due to privacy concerns.
- 🌐 **International Data Sharing**: It discusses how international treaties allow for data sharing across countries, potentially exposing Telegram's user data to various government agencies.
- 🔐 **Recommendations for Secure Communication**: The script suggests using platforms like Matrix for more secure communication and provides tips for enhancing privacy on Telegram.
Q & A
Why is the speaker concerned about using Telegram?
-The speaker is concerned because Telegram is often perceived as a private and secure messaging app, but it actually lacks end-to-end encryption for regular chats and collects user data like phone numbers, contacts, and IP addresses, which can compromise privacy and security.
What alternative to Telegram does the speaker suggest for better privacy?
-The speaker suggests using Signal, which is known for its strong end-to-end encryption and minimal data collection, providing better privacy compared to Telegram.
How did Telegram gain popularity during a Facebook outage?
-During a six-hour Facebook outage, Telegram gained a record 70 million new users, becoming the fifth most downloaded app in the United States, highlighting its appeal as an alternative platform during such incidents.
What is the difference between Telegram's regular chats and secret chats in terms of encryption?
-Telegram's regular chats are only server-side encrypted, which means Telegram can access the messages, while secret chats use end-to-end encryption, ensuring only the sender and receiver can read the messages.
Why does the speaker believe Signal is superior to Telegram in terms of privacy?
-Signal is superior because it offers true end-to-end encryption for all messages, including group chats, and has a track record of minimal data requests compliance, with an open-source codebase ensuring transparency.
What is the speaker's opinion on the claim that Telegram is an open-source platform?
-The speaker disputes the claim, stating that while Telegram has open-source clients, the server-side is proprietary and centralized, meaning the core system is not truly open-source.
How does the speaker advise users to enhance their privacy on Telegram?
-The speaker advises using a VPN, creating a separate phone number through an app like Sideline, and being cautious about the information shared on the platform to minimize the risk of privacy breaches.
What is the significance of the '14 eyes' alliance mentioned in the script?
-The '14 eyes' alliance refers to a group of countries that collaborate and share information, which means if Telegram's servers are in any of these countries, the data can be accessed through legal requests, potentially compromising user privacy.
Why does the speaker mention Matrix as a better alternative to Telegram?
-Matrix is mentioned as a better alternative because it offers true end-to-end encryption for all communications, including groups, and is designed to be more privacy-focused and decentralized compared to Telegram.
What is the speaker's stance on the use of Telegram in the traditional market?
-The speaker is concerned about the use of Telegram in the traditional market due to its privacy shortcomings and advises users to be cautious and consider more secure alternatives to protect their operations.
Outlines
📢 Warning Against Telegram Usage
The speaker strongly advises against using Telegram, a messaging app that many mistakenly believe to be private and secure. They clarify that Telegram is not end-to-end encrypted and is centralized, making it as risky for privacy as Facebook Messenger. The speaker suggests that WhatsApp, despite being owned by Facebook, might offer better privacy due to its end-to-end encryption. They also hint at a forthcoming explanation on how to use Telegram securely and touch upon the potential risks for 'trappers' and 'pushers' who use the app, suggesting that Telegram could become a tool for authorities to target these groups.
🔒 Privacy Concerns with Telegram
This paragraph delves into the privacy and security issues associated with Telegram. The speaker contrasts Telegram with Signal, highlighting Signal's commitment to privacy by only providing the minimum required data to authorities. They criticize Telegram for collecting more user data, including phone numbers, contacts, and IP addresses, and for only offering end-to-end encryption in 'secret chats'. The speaker also discusses Telegram's compliance with data requests and past instances where it has provided user data, contrary to its claims of not sharing information with law enforcement. They mention the '14 eyes' alliance and how Telegram's servers in those countries can be accessed, suggesting that the app is not as private as users might think.
🚫 Debunking Telegram's Claims
The speaker refutes several common misconceptions about Telegram, emphasizing that it is not truly open source, as its server-side is proprietary and centralized. They clarify that while Telegram has an option for end-to-end encryption, it is limited and not the default, unlike in apps like Matrix and XMPP. The paragraph also addresses Telegram's claim of being a decentralized alternative to mainstream platforms, arguing that it is as centralized as Facebook or Twitter. The speaker warns that Telegram's ability to monitor chats and its history of compliance with data requests make it a risky platform for those seeking privacy.
🛡️ Enhancing Telegram's Security
In the final paragraph, the speaker provides recommendations for enhancing the security and privacy of Telegram usage. They suggest using a service like Sideline to create a separate phone number for Telegram registration, thus decoupling the user's identity from their main phone number. The speaker also advises using a VPN from a trusted, community-verified source to maintain anonymity. They express a commitment to creating resources and a newsletter to help users secure their privacy, emphasizing the importance of these measures for those operating in the traditional market to protect themselves against potential threats.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Telegram
💡End-to-End Encryption
💡Privacy
💡Data Collection
💡Open Source
💡VPN
💡Sideline
💡Operational Security (OpSec)
💡Signal
💡IP Address
💡Matrix
Highlights
Telegram is not as private as users believe; it's not end-to-end encrypted by default.
Using WhatsApp might offer better privacy than Telegram due to its end-to-end encryption.
Telegram's security can be improved with additional steps, but it's not secure out-of-the-box.
Telegram is not a decentralized system; it's centralized and can be as risky as Facebook Messenger in terms of privacy.
Telegram's rise in users was partly due to Facebook's privacy scandals and outages.
Telegram's founder, Pavel Durov, created it with a focus on freedom of speech and minimal content moderation.
Telegram surpasses 500 million active users and offers features beyond messaging, like voice calling and file sharing.
Telegram's secret chats function uses end-to-end encryption, but it's limited and not the default for all chats.
Signal is a more privacy-focused app compared to Telegram, with a stronger commitment to minimal data collection.
Telegram collects more user data, including phone numbers, contacts, and IP addresses, raising privacy concerns.
Telegram's compliance with data requests from governments is not as strict as it claims, with examples of data sharing.
Telegram's infrastructure, despite being distributed, can still be accessed by governments under certain treaties.
The Israeli flower network 'Telegrams' on the app was shut down, with many arrests made, raising concerns about Telegram's security.
Matrix is recommended as a more secure alternative to Telegram for those seeking privacy.
Telegram's claims of being open source are misleading; the server side is proprietary and centralized.
Telegram's end-to-end encryption is limited and not the same as in apps like Signal or Matrix.
For increased security on Telegram, using a VPN and a separate phone number not tied to personal identity is advised.
The video concludes with a call to action for users to secure their privacy and consider alternative platforms.
Transcripts
so this is coming up again so I feel like I need to talk about it do not use telegram the messenger
at all there is no reason to use it um telegram a lot of people using it have this idea that it
is a private messenger it's not a lot of people have the idea that it is end-to-end encrypted it
is not a lot of people have the idea that is some kind of alt Tech or decentralized system
it is not it is just as bad as using Facebook Messenger in terms of your privacy and Security
in fact there's a good reason to think that using something like WhatsApp even though it's a spyware
program is better for your privacy than telegram telegram honestly sucks there's no reason so
is telegram secure is signal secure yes they are secure as you as a user can make them
be um you can't just log on to telegram anymore and be safe no you have to take some extra steps
to actually have a secure telegram where you can you know do whatever you want to do and be
able to sleep well hey so I just want to say really quick guys make sure you stick around
to the end of this video because this is how we're gonna explain exactly how to use Telegram
and be 100 safe and secure are Trappers safe on telegram well the quick answer is absolutely not
and is there a potential that telegram serves as a major resource for the government
to shut down the traditional Market in the future maybe but there's a lot you
need to understand before jumping into those hypotheticals so in this episode of the Trap
tree series we are going to tell the story of the rise of the private messaging app
Telegram and how in many ways the Trappers and pushers should be really careful using this app
please make sure that the like button comment subscribe and share this video also follow me
on all social medias the links are down below in the description anyways this is LMC let's run it
telegram a platform that grants people the freedom to express themselves
it's a rare gem in a world dominated by platforms like Facebook with just around
30 core employees telegrams managed to secure a spot among the top 10 platforms globally unlike
other platforms telegram exercise minimal content moderation allowing users to speak their minds
except when it comes to illicit content and calls for violence now Pavel durov the Russian
founder of telegram envisioned it as an idea that everyone on this planet has the right to be free
now over the years right Facebook has faced a number of different controversies right typically
it really has to do with the privacy and you know the scandals when it comes to you know influencing
politics right another adult as a result people have started to question you know it's dominance
and this is where telegrams start to step in because Facebook has really ruined the reputation
and you know trustworthiness you know an example of that being during a nearly six hour Facebook
outage right that happened uh two years ago in October telegram gained a record 70 million new
users it even became the fifth most downloaded app in the United States climbing up from
56th spot but what exactly is Telegram so let's break down telegram so telegram is not just a chat
messaging service it has a lot more to offer so it's got features like voice calling file
sharing and more and it's surpassed 500 million active users worldwide and I think that's really
gone up to about 700 million at this point and the platforms founder Pablo durov was motivated
by concerns about government surveillance particularly after Edward snowden's Revelations
thanks and also it is dealing with you know the past tech companies that he started in Russia
which were co-opted by the Russian government so he decided to leave you know the country and not
start a telegram and so that's why telegram includes a secret chats function which uses
end-to-end encryption and stores messages locally on users devices ensuring privacy and security
telegram is not just about privacy but if we're talking at a hole here business business or Media
or you know there's everything on telegram there's like meet up for events and conventions it doesn't
just have to be Trappers and what we're discussing so signal versus telegram gets a little bit cloudy
sometimes because telegram has the channel features it has more of a social media aspect
and that's why I think it has become so popular in our community now let's actually get into
the meat of this right when it comes to ensuring privacy there's one fundamental principle right
design the app in a way that minimizes data collection and provides user-friendly defaults
and this is something that I think telegram kind of struggles with this is rather crucial
because not not everyone using these apps is tech savvy and with over 1 billion downloads
and over 700 million daily active users how what percentage of those people are actually in
Savvy enough to protect you protect themselves right
we want to protect users from making unintentional mistakes that could compromise their privacy
and apps like signal understand this concept well in comparison too
Telegram now let's take signal as an example so signal has received data requests from the
FBI and they provided only the bare minimum right they don't store users personal data
you know they comply with the government but if they the compliance only you know entails
what they can provide legally you know which is what they only get that's that's all it is
so sing but signals end-to-end encryption ensures right the bare minimum
that can be respond you know retrieved from the FBI the chats remain private and the transparency
is evident through open source coding now when we go to telegram well telegram collects your phone
number like signal which is definitely a problem in terms of overall security but they go a step
further and gather your contacts and IP address as well additionally telegram's end-to-end encryption
is limited to secret chats while regular chats are only server-side encrypted and this raises
concerns about the overall privacy and security of the app now while I can't stress enough to
you that you shouldn't be doing anything you know elicit because well it's the law
but good thing our friends over at Dr smoke have everything covered and is above board 100
legal if you're looking for trusted high quality products to Puff on or to chew on or to drink on
go to drsmoke.com use my discount code LMC to get 15 off your entire order all products are tested
and like I said I've gotten some very very dope products from them and I highly recommend them
so make sure to go over to doctorslog.com now let's jump back into the video [Music]
let's talk about telegram again so while telegram collects your iPhone number like like signal
they go a step further and gather your contacts and IP addresses well like I mentioned
right telegram claims to have distributed you know infrastructure storing data across
various jurisdictions and they mentioned that multiple court orders from different
legal systems would be necessary to force them to provide data however the statement should be
taken with a grain of salt as there have been numerous instances where telegram has complied
with data requests related to you know extreme situations not including you know trapping right
but stories that are definitely concerning in my opinion you know that should be push folks to
start looking at more secure apps programs right at the end of the day you know they also have
lied to us in a number of different ways I mean if you look at their you know frequently asked
questions on their website you know they say that they're they've shared zero bytes of information
with law enforcement and that's just not true okay so right here is I mean I mean look at this guys
so so that so telegram is really lying to us in terms of them saying Oh we spread it out I mean
the German government they got that we're also gonna I want to talk a little bit about Israel
because there's this thing called like telegraphs I think I don't know people have heard about this
um you know but look at this right so you got the five eyes nine eyes fourteen dollars right so this
is why I think it's like this is why I think it's important for us to like kind of address this now
because once the incentive to really crack down on people is there like the real actors if they will
yeah right and Snapchat the the Snapchat ways of this happen guys it happened but bro like
what was that two two years ago when they yeah literally hired the Attorney General to run
their Ops their op SEC see it's important to note that when it comes to maintaining opsec right the
operational security against potential threats such as government agencies it's not just about
the FBI or the CIA it includes various other departments from different governments that
collaborate and share information and just you just need one of those departments in one of
these countries to really want to go after you and because of these different treaties well
it's going to happen right different countries all collaborate under you know different enforcement
treaties so telegram's data on servers located in countries within the alliances like the 14 eyes
Alliance can be easily accessed through subpoenas in the courts now for example we saw that the
German government really the German police were able to get you know server data from telegram
while we have also seen examples like telegraphs which was an Israeli flower Network platform on
the on the telegram app with over 200 000 plus customers and where multiple people were arrested
now when you look it up in that specific situation they don't necessarily talk about telegram you
know getting you know being the reason why they are you know caught but you do it does raise some
concern if you are just looking for a messenger for you and your friends or your groups you
look into Matrix because it is much better than Telegram and it actually is what telegram pretends
to be so let's talk about the things let's talk about telegram's pretenses firstly people say that
telegram is open source okay the telegram system messaging system is open source it isn't okay they
have open source clients that you can download on your phone or download on your computer but they
directly interact with a proprietary server side that is entirely centralized right so there is
one telegram botnet that everyone connects to and it is not we have no idea what it is running okay
even the source code for the desktop and mobile clients is very slowly released so that you know
that's another questionable thing but it's not you know telegram is not in any meaningful sense open
source it is not an open source system because the the server side we don't know what it's doing
doing secondly telegram is absolutely not into end encrypted your messages all your group messages
are totally readable by Telegram and basically all of your private messages are readable by telegram
they are not into end encrypted and what I mean by that is end-to-end encryption means uh sending
a message that only the intended recipient can actually decrypt and read telegram does not work
like that telegram invented their own kind of encryption scheme where messages are encrypted
to their server where they have the decryption key and they can decrypt any group message or anything
else and then messages are re-encrypted and sent to the other person but telegram themselves can
read anything okay that is on their server there is no message you send over there that is going to
be private okay and this is not the case in Matrix and xmpp you can have truly end-to-end encrypted
communication including groups it's a trivial thing to do but telegram actually does not have
that okay telegram can absolutely monitor your chats now some people say ah well telegram does
have the this ability to have end-to-end encrypted chats and that is true there is an option for that
but it's not used by many people and it only works on mobile and it only works with one device at a
time so you can't hook multiple mobile devices up to it you can't um you know if someone sends you
a message to you know your account on telegram you can't read it on desktop if it's in into end
encrypted because it doesn't work on the desktop because telegram invented their own encryption
scheme and they haven't figured everything out with it right to be able to do this kind
of stuff Matrix xmpp it works out of the box you don't have to worry about it okay that that is
something that they should not have to be dealing with but you know that's how it is thirdly again
uh uh L or excuse me telegram is it's it's not it's not really open source in any meaningful
sense it's not encrypted in any meaningful sense and it's also not a good alternative alt Tech uh
company because it's just a centralized system in the same way that that Facebook or Twitter or
any of these other communication platforms it's definitely looking to sketch with telegram to a
certain degree I mean imagine all the people that run these huge telegram uh accounts and do and do
business and don't know any better and and like like how he said the the end-to-end encryption
can only be that is true like that is only on a person to person level you can't just
like create a channel and then have 25 000 members that you're advertising whatever to
um on an encrypted level like as soon as you create a channel that's like that's visible
100 dude 100 and um NLP says I want to say thank you to LMC and the other gentlemen to have such
concern for the traditional market for uh you to go out of your way to make this video As
Much appreciated oh you guys a couple of beers no dude this is what it's all about though because
like this is a like the traditional Market is a check on the new Emerging Market illegal markets
right you know a balance of power listen man one way they're gonna knock it knock you out
on this is this stuff specifically so we need to make sure that people in traditional Market
are fortified and ready for this and aren't you know oblivious at the end of the day like I said
definitely be very careful about this moving forward in the future now like
I said before we go on I just want to say make sure to go check out Dr smoke
if you want something to Puff on they got tons of different high quality products it's
100 legal ships to 50 states and you can get a dope discount and support your boy
here so go to drsmoke.com use my discount code LMC to get 15 off your entire order
so in conclusion while telegram offers certain privacy features it falls short compared to apps
like signal in terms of default encryption data collection practices and transparency and also
the reason I'm doing this video too is I really want people to understand that people from the
folks from the traditional Market need to insulate themselves and you know really be
equipping themselves with the best possible you know encryption and privacy tools what are
some of those tools you told me you know you want I want you want to tell people about how
they could you know strengthen the security the offsack of their telegrams I want to go
um so the the first thing I tell people is to go to the App Store and it's on Google
Play and it's on Apple download the app sideline sign up for a free trial create a phone number
um and this phone number the way sideline works it don't do text now or text plus because the way
their code Works um they are not approved to get codes for verification when you sign up for for
um platforms the sideline number does so you can use a sideline number and then
sign up for telegram and then you have no connection to your name because if you use
yeah your phone number yeah right there yep if you use your phone number and you use them
and you are a customer of a major cell phone service provider like Verizon T-Mobile at T's
um Etc then you know that's just subpoena away your phone number equals your name if you use
a big company like that so you want to in my opinion 100 security is get a Straight
Talk phone and then get a sideline number um all while operating under a VPN that you buy
from a third-party Source I shared with with LMC anyone that's not familiar with hackforms.net.net
h-a-c-k-f-o-r-u-m-s DOT net it's been around since forever um but uh you can go and buy a
VPN from someone who has developed it on there and that is a you know someone from our community
quote unquote um verified trustworthy it's not nordvpn it's not some huge company that
makes millions of dollars a year and is afraid of the government so they don't lose their Fortune
um and and we'll and you know what doc honestly I'll talk to you after this but I think I want to
create some resources on my on the website and I I got a newsletter coming out and stuff so we'll
we'll have that all kind of organized for folks that are you know really want to get that down
and if you want to you know get an updated list on this I'm gonna actually be putting on a newsletter
here pretty soon so if you want to go to my website it's lmc.news an old W pop-up make sure to
join the email is join the newsletter and like I said I don't condone any sort of illicit Behavior
but at the same time I do think that people are are operating operating in you know weird
grade markets you know need to be looking to secure their privacy and their future
because it could potentially be coming anyways guys I really appreciate you guys for rocking
with me thank you so much for um sticking to the end of the video if you guys are new
to the Channel please hit the Subscribe button please make you know drop a comment down below
share this with anybody you know might find this interesting definitely follow me on all
social medias the links are down below in the description anyways this is LMC signing out
5.0 / 5 (0 votes)