How Telegram, WhatsApp and others messengers are actually protected. Secure communication via Telegram, Signal, WhatsApp, and other "secure" messengers Telegram security or the myth of wiretapping

The Telegram instant messaging program from the creator of the social network VKontakte is called the main competitor of the world famous WhatsApp. At first glance, they are really similar: the same purpose, almost the same dialog boxes and similar functionality. So maybe these are clone apps? Or are there major differences between them? And in general, was there any point in creating a product that already has analogues?

I offer a brief introduction to the free cross-platform messenger "Telegram". After reading, you will answer these questions yourself and will be able to decide whether it is worth switching to it from competitors' products.

Why was Telegram created?

According to the author of the project, Telegram is, first of all, a secure messenger (). This messenger was created specifically to protect the data exchanged by users from interception and listening. To do this, the program uses its own crypto-resistant encryption technology MTProto, which, if not impossible, is very difficult to crack. This is exactly what WhatsApp, Viber and other similar products do not have.

Another goal is to get the fastest messenger in the world. The developers also coped with this task with a bang, so high speed and low traffic consumption are the second global difference of Telegrams.

How to use the program

Phone binding and Russification

Let's start with the installation. Download Telegram for a computer or mobile device and install it like a regular application. After starting, enter your mobile phone number into the messenger - this will be your account. Then a verification will follow - a confirmation code will be sent to the specified phone. After verification, enter your first and last name in your profile so that other users can find you by them. This completes the registration.

By default, the messenger is installed in English, and switching it to Russian just won't work. To add Russian, Ukrainian, Belarusian and a number of other missing languages ​​​​to Telegram, you need to download the localization file by sending it to yourself from another Telegram client. Or request it from Robot Anton by sending one of the commands:

• locale android– means “send crack for Android phone or tablet”.
• locateios- the same for Apple gadgets.
• locate tdesktop- for Windows.
• locate osx- for OS X.

After the file is sent, click on it to download it to your device (the arrow should change to a paperclip).

In the mobile version of the client, click on the "three vertical dots" button, which is located on the right side of the message.

Select " Apply localization file", go to the section" Settings» – « language"and set the Russian language.

In the version for the computer (Windows and OS X), right-click on the sent file, select from the context menu " Save File As and save it anywhere.

Download the crack and restart the application.

Adding contacts

To search for friends among Telegram users, open the menu " Contacts". The list will display people whose numbers are in your phone book. To add new contacts, open the section of the same name and click the button shown in the screenshot.

Enter your phone number and username. Click " Save».

To start communicating with people who do not yet use the program, go to the " Contacts" and press " Invite friends».

Select the means by which you want to send them an invitation, such as Skype, WhatsApp, or a texting program.

Find a friend in this app's contact list. A link to download Telegtam will be attached to your invitation.

As soon as a friend installs the messenger, he will immediately appear in your contact list.

Message exchange

To send a message to someone, click on the Telegram username, type text in the chat window, or click on the Microphone icon and record a voice message. Click the submit button.

You can attach files to messages, as well as insert emoticons and stickers into them - pictures that express emotions.

To create the most secure chat - secret, click in the menu " New secret chat» and select a contact. Anything you share with each other will remain strictly confidential.

For additional protection against prying eyes, secret chat data can be deleted - both manually and by timer, using the menu options (which is opened via the "three dots" button in the upper right corner).

In addition to individual chats, the program has a messaging function within the group (launched through the main menu - " A new group”) and creating channels (in the same place, through the line below). A channel is, as a rule, a mass distribution of demo materials to selected subscribers.

By the way, in addition to living people, robots (bots) live in Telegram. Bots are scripts designed to perform a task. For example, user registrations on your site, post counts, and more. If you wish, you can order your own bot with a given set of functions.

What else distinguishes Telegram from analogues?

In addition to enhanced protection and high transmission speed, this messenger is different in that:

• Works in the cloud, synchronizes not only settings and contacts between devices, but also chats (except secret ones).
• Allows you to share any files, not just videos and photos. And with no size limit.
• It works on both mobile and stationary platforms, and also has a web version.
• Open source code (not all yet) and the program's API can be used by everyone.
• Doesn't show ads.
• Free even for commercial use.

And if you find fault, you can find a couple of drawbacks: the lack of a stealth mode and excessive body movements when adding the Russian language. The developers gave the following explanation to the second: “the Russian-speaking audience can successfully replace Telegram with the VKontakte messaging function, and in addition, the active growth of users from Russia will most likely become a reason to ban the distribution of the program in our country.”

I think it’s not worth explaining why you need to protect your messages, so let’s skip this paragraph and move on to the main dilemma – can such messengers do this? Today, there are many encryption options: crypto, double (or even triple) identification, PIN code and others. The messages themselves can be self-destructed, encoded, or sent directly to the user, bypassing the server.

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Note that the latter method is the safest: the information is not stored anywhere and, therefore, a third party cannot intercept it. True, in this case, it turns out a dry conversation between two "conspirators", which makes the messenger highly specialized. And if you also want video calls? Maybe we'll start...

... from an old friend - Telegram. This app continues to grow in features and is clearly worth checking out. Therefore, we will check its latest version and find out if it is as secure as they say.

The second test subject is SafeUM, which is distinguished by a huge number of different protections, which makes the study more interesting, and the review of VIPole Secure Messenger, which offers secure voice and video calls, will complete the review. Thus, we will try not to miss anything and be objective.

The test equipment was a DEXP Ursus 8EV2 3G tablet (Android 4.4.2, MT8382 processor, 4 x Cortex-A7 1.3 GHz, Mali-400 MP2 video core, 1 GB RAM, 4000 mAh battery, 3G module, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n).

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Telegram

Acquaintance

Telegram does not need too much introduction, since we already wrote about it. However, it's time to refresh your memory, because a lot has changed in this application, and the review of secure messengers will not be complete without it.

But is this program really so secure if it saves messages in the cloud, passing them through different servers? What Telegram feature can really be called "secret"? Has the application changed for the better? That's what we'll talk about.

The most detailed instruction Telegram for people who are just about to install it.

What is Telegram?

So, Telegram, what is it? is a free messenger for smartphones and PCs running all the most common operating systems today, which allows you to exchange not only text messages, but also various media files (pictures, music, archives, text documents, etc.)

How to start communication and what are groups (Group)?

Telegram provides the ability to communicate with one or several people at once. If you just click on the username, you can chat with him one-on-one in chat mode. Other users will not be able to read or join your conversation. To communicate with a large number of people, you need to create a group (Group). There can be two users in a group (you and someone else. At the same time, unlike a chat, in the future you will have the opportunity to invite other interlocutors to the group) or much more. And to be more precise, the limit on the number of users in one group is 5000 (!) People.

Is group chat visible to everyone?

No, only group members.

How to become a member of the group?

Only at the invitation of someone who is already a member. In the Telegram itself, to invite participants, you must click on the name of the group - Add member - Select the people you want to add. Otherwise, with rare exceptions, nothing. This exception is the ability to create a temporary link to a group. Only a group administrator can create such a link. He can do this in order to invite people to the group who are not yet telegram users, or who are not registered in his contacts. If you have such a link to the group, go through it and click join.
If you are an administrator and want to create such a link for your group, then for this you need to: click on the name of the group - Add member - Invite to Group via Link - copy Link or Share Link. Send the link where the person you want to invite can see it.

But are there any Telegram groups specially created to meet people united by common interests or living in the same region (city).

Eat. And they are called supergroups (Supergroup). You can find the list of groups that will be glad to see you as their member: ( Interest groups) or ( City and regional groups. Groups for residents of any countries). If you have not found anything that suits your interests or there is no group of your city (region) in Telegram yet, you can create such a supergroup yourself. To do this, you must first create a regular group using the command in the New Group menu, and then use the Upgrade to Supergroup function in the group settings. Don't forget to add her to our group directory so that as many people as possible know about her.

I heard that Telegram is the most secure messenger, is it true?

One of the most protected. To protect against surveillance, Telegram uses its own development - a cryptographic protocol MTProto. Without knowing his keys, attackers will not be able to read your correspondence with anyone. However, the data about your correspondence, although encrypted, is still stored on the Telegram servers. Note that this approach, in addition to the minuses, such as the potential possibility of cracking keys and gaining access to your messages, also gives a lot of pluses. For example, you will always have access to your correspondence from any device currently available to you. In addition, you can always be sure that valuable messages that you want to keep will not go anywhere. If this is not enough for you and you want to completely protect yourself, you can use the function secret chat (Secret Chat). This is a chat in which messages are stored exclusively on the smartphones of its participants (the so-called " end-to-end encryption") and are deleted from all devices after a certain period of time (which one you decide for yourself).

Did you say something about the fact that you can send not only text messages, but also various files?

Right. For this:
-If you are using the smartphone version, click on the paperclip to the right of the message field (Message)
-In the PC version, click on the camera icon to the left of the text entry field (Write a message ...), and then, depending on the type of file being transferred, select either the camera again - to transfer a photo, or a paperclip to transfer any other file.

What else is there in Telegram that distinguishes it from other messengers?

There are also so-called channels and bots.

What are channels (Channel)?

Channels are chats that act as mass mailings. It can be: a feed with updates to some of your favorite sites or publics (For example, @lastmag), a blog of some famous person (For example, Yuri Saprykin - @forevernotes), someone's channel created to inform their subscribers about updates to their pages in social networks, thematic channels created specifically for Telegram (For example, @historyporn), etc. The key difference from groups is that you can only read the channel (of course, if you are not its creator) and share publications from it with others Telegram users. The function of replies, likes and comments in the channels is missing.

What are bots (Bot)?

A distinctive feature of Telegram from other messengers (WhatsApp, Viber, Hangouts, ICQ, etc.) is the presence of bots with which you can diversify your communication with other people (for example, the Quiz bot), follow updates from various media and other sources of information ( like @Meduza), play games (like turn-based strategy Endless Summer), solve everyday tasks (like a cooking bot with recipes that can be filtered based on the ingredients you have at hand, or getting weather information), etc. In fact, this means that this messenger can be a useful program for you even if you don’t have a single person in it who would use it, because in addition to communicating with friends, Telegram provides a wide range of opportunities for its users, who are sometimes not connected in any way. with communication.

How do you manage these bots?

With the help of commands. The list of commands is usually located to the right of the input box.
messages and is indicated by either a "/" or four small squares in one large square. There are other ways to manage. But don't worry. All of them are intuitive and you can easily understand them.

Well, how now to search in Telegram for all these channels and all these bots that you talked about so much?

Where to download Telegram?

We advise beginners to download Telegram only from the links indicated on the official website of the program. Alas, on the official website everything is in English and there is no instruction on how to change the program interface to Russian. All this is on our website on the page Download Telegram in Russian. All the links to the installation files that we have indicated are identical to the links from the telegram.org website.
Note that there are many alternative messengers based on Telegrams that have both their pluses and minuses relative to the official version of the program. We think that if you need to use unofficial versions of the messenger, you can easily find them in the application store installed on your device.

How to register in it?

You just need to enter your phone number. Wait for the SMS message to be received and enter the code in Telegram that will be indicated in it.

And is it all free?

Yes. Installation, registration, and use are absolutely free. Like all other Telegram functions. An exception are some bots associated with the provision of various services (for example, calling a taxi). But, in this case, you pay not for using Telegram, but for the service itself.

How to invite your friends to Telegram?

Telegram syncs with your phone book, so you can send your friends an invitation to Telegram via SMS. There are also other ways, the number and variety of which depends on the applications that are installed on your smartphone.

A stickers (Stickers) what is it? Is it some kind of food?

Of course not! Stickers are sets of pictures that can replace some words or even sentences when communicating with friends. With the help of them, you can diversify your conversation, please a person with a beautiful picture, congratulate you in an original way on something, or simply cheer up your interlocutor.

And where to take them?

You can download the ones that your friends already have. Or choose your favorite from our catalog.

And why is the application not Russified (there are also no Ukrainian and Belarusian languages)?

The developers are not in a hurry to add the Russian language to the application interface (as well as Ukrainian and Belarusian). But you can do it yourself. To do this, use the following bots:
-Russian
-Ukrainian
-Belorussian
Next: Download the resulting file (click on the arrow icon). Click on the three dots in the upper right corner of the message. In the menu that opens, select "Apply localization file", then in the list of languages, find the one you need.

Is that all now?

The program is constantly updated and acquires new features. But for now, yes! This is the basic information that will be enough for you to start using Telegram and feel like a fish in water in it. We can also advise you to read our tips for Telegram users that will make your pastime in the messenger even more comfortable. Have a nice chat!

Telegram messenger is a free service for real-time communication. A couple of years ago, Telegram Messenger was not very famous, but now it is experiencing a real surge of interest.

Brands create their channels in it on a par with Instagram and other social networks, and people just enjoy communicating.

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Let's talk about the features of the free Telegram messenger and why it is worth downloading

How Telegram messenger differs from other social networks

In fact, what is it for at all? These messengers are already enough, take the same one. Let's figure out why Telegram cannot be compared with them.

• Telegram provides the maximum. It is difficult to imagine a more secure communication.

The feature of the messenger is . Unlike regular correspondence, data from such chats does not go to the Telegram servers, but remains on your phone.

Thus, no one ever will not be able to find out what you talked about in the secret chat.

• The speed of the messenger is an order of magnitude higher than Viber and WhhatsApp.

At the same time, Telegram consumes less traffic.

• Telegram is absolutely free.

There is no monetization in the application at all.

• Another plus in the Telegram piggy bank is the self-destruction of messages.

This parameter can be configured by specifying the time after which messages will be deleted.

• Telegram Messenger does not limit the message size.

• Telegram is open source and has an API.

What is Telegram messenger for?

As we have already found out, this is a convenient and free communication service that can be used on almost any device.

Telegram Messenger has become an integral part of the life of a multi-million audience

But besides this, Telegram Messenger has a lot of other features and features. Everything in order:

• Telegram has bots.

• In addition to communication, the messenger makes it possible to subscribe to channels.

These are a kind of mini-blogs that collect useful information on a specific topic. For example, there are Telegram channels about cryptocurrency, cooking, travelling, making money online, politics, etc.

Information in them can be presented in the form of text, pictures, audio recordings or videos, as well as a link to the source.

Enjoy all the benefits of Telegram Messenger

It is not necessary to look for ready-made communities - you can

Greetings, my beloved readers! Today I have prepared a detailed review of the Telegram messenger.

Its creator is the well-known Pavel Durov.

Here a person knows how to make high-quality projects that conquer millions of users.

First Vkontakte, now Telegram. Telegram messenger was created in 2013. But I found out about it and started using it quite recently.

What is Telegram and why is it needed

For those who are still guessing what kind of Telegram this is, I will explain.

This is a service that allows you to exchange instant messages or another messenger. Something like Skype, Viber or Agent Mail.

Now there is also a function of calls!

This is how the messenger looks on the computer:

Simple, stylish, comfortable.

Telegram is the most secure messenger. You can create secret chats. And no one except you and the addressee will know what the correspondence was about.

Telegram is a messenger, but it is more and more like a social network. There are channels, and chats, and bots. It has many features and benefits.

Why and who needs a messenger?

• Ordinary users - to exchange messages and various files.
• Companies - to organize communication between employees. Telegram allows you to create group chats with up to 200 people by default. Upon reaching this number, the chat can be increased to 5000.
• Investors - to invest. The platform allows you to create special investment bots. It was as an investor that I met Telegram.
• Bloggers are a great tool to notify their subscribers. Covers users of computers, tablets, smartphones. There is no risk that messages will go to spam. I also have my own channel. Subscribe!
• Telegram is not just a messenger, but a real social network.
• With the help of Telegrams, you can even accept payments.
• It is constantly updated, new features appear.

Advantages of Telegrams

• security

Allows you to create secret chats and set a timer for auto-deleting correspondence.

True, this feature is not available on a laptop, but the messenger is intended primarily for smartphones. Do you want to secure your correspondence? Telegram to your smartphone. I didn't use this opportunity. There is nothing to hide yet.

• free

Well, everyone loves free, no comments here).

• Cross-platform

Telegram messenger is available on many devices: computer, laptop, tablet, smartphone.

All data is synchronized. You can start writing a message on your laptop and finish on your phone.

• Rapidity

This is the fastest messenger in existence. Messages are delivered in fractions of a second. And even when the Internet is slow and sites do not load, Telegram works.

• Sending large files

Telegram allows you to send files of any format up to 1.5 GB in size. Files can be stored in the cloud. Cool, right?

Well, there are many other interesting features, too many to list. Although you will learn about some later in the article.

Telegram messenger: a guide for beginners

Interested in Messenger? Then we proceed to the installation and active operation.

How to install Telegram messenger

Well, everything is simple.

First, there is the Telegram web client. There is no need to install anything here. Telegram Web in Russian is available at web.telegram.org.ru.

Secondly, there is a version for the computer. You can download it on the official website: https://telegram.org

Everything, as usual, download, run, install, like any other program.

Thirdly, the Telegram messenger can be installed on smartphones and tablets. Looking for an app on GooglePlay or AppStore.

After installation, indicate the phone number, enter the SMS received on it and you are in your personal account.

Previously, it was necessary to take additional steps to install the Russian language. But now it has already been added to the settings.

How to set up Telegram

In the top menu, click Settings.

Here I advise you to upload a photo or an avatar and specify a login so that you can be found by login, and not by phone number.

There are many more settings: sound, download folder settings, background image, stickers, notifications, security.

I won't dwell on it. As soon as you translate Telegram into Russian, you will easily understand everything.

And a little more about the possibilities of Telegram ...

Stickers

Stickers are pictures that indicate emotions and allow you to make communication more expressive. In Telegram, all stickers are free.

In addition to standard emoticons, there are many other pictures for every taste: for lovers of cats, dogs, Pokemon, Putin, various TV shows and computer games.

How to add stickers to Telegram?

Go to Settings and select Manage and sort stickers. Click on promoted sets and choose what you like. You can also remove stickers in the settings.

All stickers can be found in the catalog at https://tlgrm.ru/stickers.

If the other person sent you a cool sticker and you want to add it to yourself, then right-click on it and select Add stickers.

The entire collection will open, you can install it.

You can add your own stickers to the Telegram messenger. Find a robot @stickers, send him the /newpack command, then follow the instructions.

How to create your channel in Telegram

As I said, your Telegram channel is an excellent means of notifying your audience.

The channel is created elementarily. On a smartphone in Telegram, select "Create a channel":

Enter the name of the channel and its brief description, come up with a link where it can be found.

And finally, specify the channel type: public (available to everyone, displayed in the search) or private (available only by link).

All this data can be edited in the future. After creating a channel, I advise you to upload an avatar for it.

You can also create a channel on a computer, although it's not so obvious here, I just accidentally discovered how to do it.

And you just need to click on the pencil in the search bar:

You can also create a group chat here. Choose the one you want and follow the instructions.

On the computer, by right-clicking on the name of the channel, you will receive information about it, you can disable or enable notifications, and find the messages you need.

On Android, you need to click on the channel name at the top of the screen.

The number of views is displayed in the lower right corner of each post. In the channel information, you can see the number of participants.

Communication

Here are some more interesting Telegram features that you might find useful:

• In a long correspondence, you put hashtags, they will allow you to quickly find the right message;
• You can edit an already sent message within 2 days. I used it myself, it's convenient.
• Upload several files at once if necessary, no need to add them one by one;
• You can always easily block a user if he bothers you.

And through the use of bots, your opportunities increase many times over.

Bots are programs that perform automated actions. In Telegram, these are accounts managed by programs. Telegram bots are capable of many things: report the weather forecast, exchange rates, search for movies and pictures, translate into different languages…

I will introduce you one bot @storebot. It allows you to search for bots in Telegram.

How to remove Telegram

Despite all the advantages of the messenger, you no longer want to use it and decide to delete your account? Then read how to do it.

The Telegram profile is deleted on the website: https://my.telegram.org/auth

Specify the phone number, click Next. You will receive a code in Telegram, enter it and get into your account.

Select the second line Deactivate account. Now you will be asked to specify the reason for the deletion and warned that all contacts, groups and channels will be deleted:

And finally, after that, the red button Yes, delete my account will appear. Click and that's it, the Telegram account has been deleted.

But I hope this instruction will not be useful to you.

Conclusion: the Telegram messenger is reliable and convenient, it is constantly being improved. Worthy of starting to use it actively. What do you think?