Why is the Telegram in the "risk" section?

[OlegZv]

Regarding https://github.com/vshymanskyy/StandWithUkraine/blob/main/docs/CyberSafety.md What inspired you to add Telegram to the list of Low risk apps?

[vshymanskyy]

Do you think the risk is high, or that Tg should be removed from the list?

[OlegZv]

I'm not a security expert to judge :) Was just curious to know if there's any particular reasoning on this one.

There is a safe way to use telegram is through creating a "Secret Chat" between two parties, then and only then there is an end-to-end encryption. Otherwise in regular chats and group chats the messages are encrypted between all the parties and the Telegram servers. So essentially the users are trusting telegram Servers and the judgement of its creators to not disclose user's private information.

Signal would be by far the only messaging app I'd recommend for those who are looking for truly private messaging options (especially for group chats)

[cristaloleg]

I think the main question is that Durov can be a FSB agent, at least such thing was mentioned by well-known InformNapalm 4y ago https://informnapalm.org/ua/pochomu-gram-telegram/ [UA]

[gytisrepecka]

Telegram is not end-to-end encrypted as content is available to it's servers running proprietary software.

Make sure to read the history of Telegram covered by WIRED to know more about Durov and think long and hard before trusting him.

Instead better recommend Signal or Threema.

[jdreesen]

In response to the false claims of security in #200 (which was locked minutes before I could respond):

note that Telegram does offer E2E encryption, albeit not by default.

But it does so only for one-to-one chats, not for groups & channels!

it is as secure as whatsapp, which has sham E2E encryption - chats are encrypted, but automatic backups stored on the servers are not - that's why you can access you chat history when you get a new phone.

The difference is that WhatsApp's backups are not stored on WhatsApp's own servers, but in iCloud/Google Drive. So WhatsApp/Meta has no access to them. Moreover, any kind of chat on WhatsApp is encrypted. Therefore, I would definitely consider it more secure.

Also, WhatsApp supports encrypted backups (disabled by default). See: https://faq.whatsapp.com/490592613091019?locale=en_US

secret chats on Telegram are as secure as signal.

That's a bold claim, as Telegram uses a proprietary, custom-designed encryption protocol, which is never a good idea, while Signal's open protocol is considered the gold standard (and is also used by WhatsApp).

[szamanr]

@vshymanskyy

Please stop posting this manipulative bs:

advocating for non-e2e-encrypted software like Slack and Teams, but against Telegram

...we're not advocating for Slack or Teams.

yes, you are. direct quote from the cyber safety page (https://github.com/vshymanskyy/StandWithUkraine/blob/main/docs/CyberSafety.md):

Create an additional channel of communication with important contacts (i.e. Signal/Slack/Teams)

let's please not resort to insult such as "manipulative" or "bs". i have done my research, have you done yours? or are you just jumping on the "CEO is russian therefore product bad" bandwagon? it's not rational. please reconsider. you are harming a product which has done more to end this war than this repo, by enabling users in the affected countries to access independent information.