2024-09-22 20:51:55
Many come to Telegram for its promise of security and anonymity.
Photo: AFP – –
Instant messaging applications are part of our daily lives. The most popular continues to be WhatsApp, with more than 2 billion monthly active users, according to the company Statista. It is followed by Wechat Asia (with 1,360 million), Messenger (977 million), Telegram (900 million) and Snapchat (800 million).
Each has its own characteristics, with specific functions and types of use. Among these there are some who come to stand out in terms of privacy, such as the great Power signal and Telegram.
The latter has been gaining popularity recently, being for many choices Whatsapp.
There is much for Telegram for the promise of security and anonymity, and, although it provides additional security levels than the messaging app, the truth is that it cannot be considered 100% secure or private.
The importance of security and privacy
At the outset it must be said that all messaging applications provide minimum standards in this regard. For example, Whatsapp provides end-to-end encryption, which means that the message leaves the sender encrypted and is encrypted when it reaches the recipient (in theory, third parties cannot intercept them wait, even WhatsApp itself).
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Added to this are functions such as saving the last time online, profile photo, contact information and reading confirmation (two blue check marks are turned on or visible to others if we see their positions).
Telegram adds additional services. For example, we can hide our username and give ourselves a nickname, we can also hide our phone number from people who are not among our contacts.
As explained by Eset computer security analyst Mario Micucci, “Telegram offers two types of encryption: client server for normal communications and end-to-end encryption in private chats that ensures that the sender and Only the recipient can read the messages, an additional point in terms of security. However, the lack of end-to-end encryption in regular chats raises questions. Although Telegram ensures that server-server encryption is strong, the possibility that the company (or any entity that manages to access its servers) has access to the content of communications is a risk that should not be ignored.
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Regarding this, it stands out that, even though Telegram uses its own encryption protocol (which is MTProto), it is open source and the environment is checked. While this may be considered transparent and well-intentioned, it can also prove to be an Achilles’ heel in terms of security.
Please note that Telegram still cannot get 100% anonymity, because registration requires account registration with a phone number.
“This represents a major vulnerability: if an adversary manages to associate that number with your real identity, your anonymity is lost. The possibility of hiding the phone number from other users is part of the advanced privacy options, but if they are not configured properly, they can reveal more information than you want,” he explained.
Micucci also revealed that Telegram keeps metadata about its users, which can be very revealing by providing a detailed map of relationships and communication patterns. This information is very valuable for things that want to find networks of contacts and actions of a specific person, which is why it represents a great risk for those who seek total anonymity.
Although Telegram offers a high level of privacy and security, it cannot be considered a completely anonymous platform.
Even with all this, there is an argument as to whether it should be completely anonymous applications, because the use given to them does not always correspond to the right intentions.
It has been found that these types of applications are often used to create communication channels for criminal groups, who strengthen their level of anonymity by using VPNs and obtaining SIM cards over-the-counter.
But there is also the fact that privacy and anonymity is a right (as well as a relevant asset in this era where everything is public) that everyone should have access to, even for legitimate uses.
In the end, Telegram is still a tool, the use of which will depend on the needs of its user. The recommendation is to move with caution and use responsibly.
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