Telegram vs Slack

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.

If you use Slack through work, your employer or workspace owner controls messages, files, settings, exports, and many privacy choices. In practice, your organization—not you—usually decides retention, access, and deletion of workspace content.

Workspace owners and admins may access, modify, or restrict your information, including profile details and workspace activity logs. Users should not assume workplace Slack activity is private from their organization.

Slack collects extensive non-content data including logs, device identifiers, approximate location, cookies, imported contacts, integration data, and audio/video metadata. This creates a detailed record of how you use the service even outside message content itself.

Slack says it does not 'sell' personal data under CCPA definitions, but it may share identifiers and internet activity with third-party advertisers for targeted ads off Slack. That means some personal data can still support advertising ecosystems.

Slack states it does not sell personal information as defined by the CCPA and says it would provide a right to opt out before doing so. This is a meaningful privacy commitment, even though ad-related sharing still occurs.

Users may have rights to access, correct, delete, restrict, object, and for Californians opt out of certain sharing. Slack also recognizes Global Privacy Control for cookie-based sharing opt-outs.

When integrations are enabled, Slack may receive and share data with those providers, which operate under their own privacy policies. Slack expressly does not guarantee those providers fully disclose permissions.

Slack keeps customer data according to employer instructions, but may retain other personal data as long as necessary for support, audits, legal compliance, disputes, and business interests. This does not give users a firm deletion timeline for all personal data.

Slack clearly says data may be transferred internationally, including to the U.S., and identifies Standard Contractual Clauses and APEC certifications as safeguards. This is helpful transparency for cross-border data handling.

Slack can change its privacy policy over time and asks users to review it, with extra notice only for material changes to privacy rights. Continued use may effectively mean accepting updated terms unless you deactivate your account.

Slack links to supporting materials like subprocessors, security practices, data request resources, transparency reporting, and data export guidance. That makes it easier for users and organizations to evaluate operational privacy practices.