Telegram vs Messenger

Telegram says it does not use personal data for ad targeting. Sponsored messages in public channels are contextual rather than based on user profiling.

Secret chats are end-to-end encrypted and Telegram says it cannot read them. It also says it does not store secret chats as readable server-side content.

Normal cloud chats, media, and files are stored on Telegram’s servers so they sync across devices. That is convenient, but it means standard chats do not get the same privacy model as secret chats.

Using bots, mini apps, business chatbots, translation, voice-to-text, and payments can send data to independent third parties. In some cases bots may access messages in chats assigned to them.

Telegram Premium renews automatically until canceled, and deleting your account or app does not stop billing. Early cancellation generally does not give a partial refund or credit.

Users can delete their account and cloud data, and Telegram recognizes access, correction, deletion, objection, restriction, and portability rights under applicable law.

Telegram may collect IP address, device/app usage, and username-history metadata for security and abuse prevention, and can keep it for up to 12 months.

Your chosen screen name, username, and profile photos are always public. That makes discovery easier, but reduces default privacy around account identity.

Telegram reserves the right to update its terms and privacy policy later. Privacy-policy changes take effect when posted, though Telegram says important changes will be notified in-app.

Telegram can temporarily or permanently ban accounts for violations, and says it will not compensate users for lost Premium benefits. Reported cloud-chat messages may also be reviewed by moderators.

Telegram says its web service uses only operational cookies and not cookies for profiling or advertising. This is a meaningful privacy-positive compared with many web services.

Telegram says it may disclose IP address and phone number only under valid criminal-authority orders and will include such disclosures in a quarterly transparency report.

You give Meta a worldwide, transferable, sublicensable license to host, use, distribute, modify, and create derivatives from content you share. Even though the license ends when content is deleted, it is very broad while the content remains on the service.

Deleting content or an account may take up to 90 days, plus up to another 90 days for backup removal. Some content can also be retained longer for legal, safety, or technical reasons.

The privacy policy says Meta collects data you provide, your activity and connections, device and cookie data, and information from partners and third parties. This gives Meta a broad view of your use both on and off the service.

Consumer claims generally go to courts in your home country, but other disputes and claims Meta brings against you may be forced into California courts under California law. That can make non-consumer disputes harder to fight for users outside the U.S.

You can view, download, and in some cases port your information. That gives users some portability and a way to take their data elsewhere.

Meta uses your personal data to personalize ads and sponsored content across Meta Products. You can manage ad preferences, but ad personalization is the default funding model.

Meta shares information across Meta companies for safety, compliance, feature development, and usage analysis. That means your data can travel within the Meta ecosystem even if you only use Messenger.

Meta says it does not sell your personal data to advertisers and does not directly identify you to them unless you give permission. That is better than services that monetize by selling identifiable user data.

Meta provides settings and help-center paths to delete information or your account. This is a meaningful user control, even though the process is not immediate.

Meta says it may update the terms and will notify you at least 30 days in advance, and continued use means acceptance. That is better than silent changes, but still leaves amendment power with Meta.