However, that isn’t necessarily the case. Many of my friends use it and motivate their choice in doing so on the fact that it is more secure than other (Mark Zuckerberg-owned) instant messaging apps out there such as WhatsApp or Facebook Messenger. What sets Telegram apart from the crowd is its popularity, especially among millennial and Gen Z users.

It is available on multiple mobile and desktop operating systems, namely iOS, macOS, Android, Windows Phone, Windows, and Linux. The app features a secret chat option with end-to-end encryption, as well as a regular chat variant that is encrypted in the Telegram Cloud. It was developed by Pavel and Nikolai Durov, two Russian brothers who are best known for creating the social networking platform VK (formerly VKontakte). Telegram is a cloud-based instant messaging app that was launched back in 2013 and has gained quite a devoted user base since then. As always, stay tuned until the end for some actionable advice on how to stay safe while using Telegram. Worry not, as I will answer all of them and more in the following lines. What is Telegram? Is it encrypted? How shady is its privacy policy? And, most importantly, is Telegram secure? If you are not yet familiar with it, a few questions might be going through your mind right now. However, the Russian platform is anything but with its user base of roughly 300 million.

When compared to renowned instant messaging apps such as WhatsApp or Facebook Messenger, Telegram might seem like the underdog.

What is the telegram app used for