Privacy on Telegram & the Search for Alternatives

Aaron Ventur

Aaron Ventur

Apprentice
Just came across a report of Telegram and noticed that their updated privacy policy now allows for more data-sharing with legal authorities across multiple jurisdictions. In some countries, even IP addresses might be handed over now—where previously, only metadata was retained.

This got me thinking: when “compliance” becomes an excuse for data leakage, what are the tools that can really offer meaningful protection?

I’ve been testing a few decentralized, privacy-first messaging platforms lately (SimpleX, WireMin, Keet), but I ran into a paradox:
✅ More secure on a technical level (end-to-end encryption, no phone number required)
❌ Fragmented user base makes finding communities pretty hard—even basic group discovery relies on third-party directories in some cases

Has anyone successfully built or found a stable community on decentralized platforms?
Where do you draw the line between privacy and usability—do you lean towards extreme security or some level of compromise?

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Aaron Ventur said:
Just came across a report of Telegram and noticed that their updated privacy policy now allows for more data-sharing with legal authorities across multiple jurisdictions. In some countries, even IP addresses might be handed over now—where previously, only metadata was retained.

This got me thinking: when “compliance” becomes an excuse for data leakage, what are the tools that can really offer meaningful protection?

I’ve been testing a few decentralized, privacy-first messaging platforms lately (SimpleX, WireMin, Keet), but I ran into a paradox:
✅ More secure on a technical level (end-to-end encryption, no phone number required)
❌ Fragmented user base makes finding communities pretty hard—even basic group discovery relies on third-party directories in some cases

Has anyone successfully built or found a stable community on decentralized platforms?
Where do you draw the line between privacy and usability—do you lean towards extreme security or some level of compromise?

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I would say signal and matrix are your best bet for now
 
With rules popping up every now and then it becomes very difficult to migrate the whole community to the new platform.
Till now most of the pirate stuff is on Telegram only. Will this prompt a move to Signal / Matrix is unclear.
 
vink said:
even Signal asks mobile number on sign up? only with matrix can you do anonymous sign up..
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Knowing my phone number means knowing where, when, and who I send the messages to. It's way too much for an app that claims to be private.
Spout3628 said:
I would say signal and matrix are your best bet for now
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What do you think of peer-to-peer messaging apps?
Unlike traditional messaging apps that rely on cloud servers for logins and storage, they run on a distributed network where users connect directly to each other. Since there’s no central authority managing user identities, there’s no need for phone numbers or emails—your identity is based on cryptographic key pairs instead.
 
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Aaron Ventur said:
Knowing my phone number means knowing where, when, and who I send the messages to. It's way too much for an app that claims to be private.

What do you think of peer-to-peer messaging apps?
Unlike traditional messaging apps that rely on cloud servers for logins and storage, they run on a distributed network where users connect directly to each other. Since there’s no central authority managing user identities, there’s no need for phone numbers or emails—your identity is based on cryptographic key pairs instead.
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issue with hardcore peer to peer apps is that other party refuses to set them up because it is too hard for them
 
TEUser2K1 said:
matrix is decentralized; if not for mobile use, check retroshare.
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Thanks! Any communities or groups you can invite me to? Like those Telegram groups.

Spout3628 said:
issue with hardcore peer to peer apps is that other party refuses to set them up because it is too hard for them
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Actually Keet(for laptop) and WireMin (for mobile) are super easy to set up, just download the app and create an account in seconds. The real challenge is sticking with them when you don’t have an active group to chat with.
 
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