Is Telegram safe
It depends on which chat you use. Telegram's FAQ says regular chats and group chats, which it calls Cloud Chats, use server-client encryption and are stored encrypted in the Telegram Cloud. Only Secret Chats use end-to-end encryption, and you start one from one person's profile.
Checked on 21 October 2026. Facts about other apps link to each company's own pages.
Only in Secret Chats and calls. Telegram's FAQ says "All messages in secret chats use end-to-end encryption," while Cloud Chats, its private and group chats, use server-client encryption. Its FAQ also says you can make end-to-end encrypted voice and video calls.
Server-client encryption protects a message on its way between your app and Telegram's servers. End-to-end encryption protects it the whole way, so only the people in the chat can read it.
Telegram explains the trade-off in its FAQ: Cloud Chats are stored encrypted in the Telegram Cloud so they reach all your devices, while a Secret Chat is tied to the device it started on.
Yes, with server-client encryption, and not end to end. Telegram's FAQ lists group chats among Cloud Chats, and starts a Secret Chat from one person's profile.
Cloud chat data is stored in data centers around the globe, and Telegram says the decryption keys are split into parts and never kept in the same place as the data they protect.
For everyday chat, Telegram encrypts every chat on its way to its servers and stores cloud chats encrypted. For a conversation that only its participants should be able to read, use a Secret Chat, or an app that end-to-end encrypts every chat by default.
Telegram's own view, in its FAQ, is that "Telegram is more secure than mass market messengers like WhatsApp and Line." Whether Telegram messenger is safe for you depends on whether your group chats need end-to-end encryption, because Telegram's Secret Chats are one-to-one.
Socketchat is end-to-end encrypted group chat in the terminal, for a small group that runs its own server. Every room, groups included, is end-to-end encrypted. Is Socketchat safe? covers the details.
More questions
Yes, in Secret Chats and in voice and video calls. Regular chats and group chats use server-client encryption, according to Telegram's FAQ.
Start a Secret Chat. Telegram's FAQ says to open the profile of the person you want to contact, tap "…", then "Start Secret Chat".
curl --proto '=https' --tlsv1.2 -LsSf https://github.com/sachio222/socketchat_v4/releases/latest/download/socketchat-installer.sh | shpowershell -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -c "irm https://github.com/sachio222/socketchat_v4/releases/latest/download/socketchat-installer.ps1 | iex"brew install sachio222/tap/socketchatOpen a new terminal when it finishes.
Then start a server with socketchat server init --host chat.example.com and socketchat server run, and open port 7444. Quick start on the home page.
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