Telegram privacy How does it work and what should you configure to make your account much more private? Step by step guide

Privacy in Telegram is one of the most outstanding features that this platform has. Therefore, it is important to know how to set up a Telegram account to make it much more private.

If you want to know the necessary steps to keep your data protected, you should keep reading until the end. We will show you how Telegram’s digital privacy policy works and what their developers think about the protection of your data.

In addition, we will teach you the steps to configure various aspects of your account to ensure that your profile photo is not visible or your connection status, among other things. Let’s get started.

Digital privacy for Telegram What do its developers think about the protection of your data on the Internet?

The people in charge of Telegram’s IT development consider two important components within privacy on the web. These elements are the protection of private conversations and the safeguarding user data of the platform of stalking advertisers and other companies. In this way it is possible to know clearly, through Telegram’s own bot @GDPRbot, a copy of the data and information handled by the platform of the account requesting this report.

In addition, through this robot, it is feasible to know in detail the privacy policies used by the messenger. All of this was reflected in the small changes that Telegram had to make when it came into force, in the year 2018, the General Data Protection Regulation, since a large part of the privacy protection requested in the regulations was met. Do not forget that other couriers had to make major modifications to be able to comply with European laws.

Learn step by step how to configure your Telegram account to make it much more private and confidential

See below the steps you must take to configure your Telegram account to make it much more secure:

Do not receive messages from strangers

When do not want to receive conversations or private chats from people you do not have registered In your contact book or you do not know it, you can eliminate this option within Telegram.

For this you will have to do the following step by step:

Enter the application from Telegram and log in.
Then, go to the upper left corner of the screen and press on the three horizontal lines.
Look for the option Settings and click on it.
When you enter the options menu select Privacy & Security.
Head to the field Privacy if you are looking for the tool Phone number.
Once the menu is displayed go to the section Who can see my number? and check the box No one or My contacts.
So that changes take effect, you’ll have to save them.

Do not allow to be invited to groups and channels

If you do not want share invitations to join groups or channels within Telegram you will have to follow a series of steps to set up your account.

You can do this guide to prevent anyone from including you in these communities:

The first thing you should do is enter the options menu by pressing the icon at the top of the left column.
Then press on the menu Privacy & Security.
Click on Groups and channels, inside the field Privacy.
Once you are inside this tool menu, active the box My contacts inside the field “Who can add me?”.
Finally, click on Keep.

Enable Stealth Mode

One of the most important advantages that Telegram offers is that of allow you not to show your last connection or when you are online. In this way, the platform will send the other users an indeterminate connection, that is, a general message will appear according to the period that has elapsed since you last used it. This way you will hide your last connection time in Telegram.

If you want to know how to do it, carry out this process:

When you access the menu Settings go to option Privacy & Security.
Then press on Last time and online.
This will bring up a menu called Who can see my last time and status online?, which you must activate the box No one.
Save changes so that the modifications are activated.

Hide your phone number

Another outstanding feature it has Telegram is that it offers users the possibility of hide the phone number with which you registered on the platform. In this way, no one will be able to know this private information, unless it is configured by its own owner.

The guide that you must follow to activate this function is the following:

Go to the menu located at the top of the screen.
Find the tool Settings and click on it.
Select option Privacy & Security.
Then inside the field Privacy, click on Phone number.
You will find the field Who can see my number? and within this section activate the option No one.
To finish, click Keep.

Hide profile picture

So that no one or only some can see your profile photo or video that you have in your Telegram account you must configure the privacy tools offered by the platform.

For this you will have to do this guide:

Once you are inside the menu Settings you will have to go to the tool Privacy & Security.
Then, look in the Privacy field in the option Profile picture and click on it.
When you access this menu, check the box My contacts, within the section “Who can see my profile photos and videos?”.
Do not forget to press the check mark or the button Keep.

Disable P2P on voice calls

P2P is an end-to-end encryption feature that allows to maintain the coding of voice calls, which go through the server of Telegram, what for not be intercepted by anyone.

If you want to disable this tool, you will have to follow this procedure:

The first thing you should do is go to the left column of the screen. Then you will have to look for the icon represented by three horizontal lines at the top of this configuration panel.
Once you have clicked on the menu An icon of a cogwheel will appear, so you must click on it.
When you are inside the menu Settings, click on the tool Privacy & Security.
Then find the field Peer to peer and enter this tool.
Click on Use peer-to-peer with and choose the box No one or My contacts. If you wish, you will be able to click on the section Add exceptions to incorporate some limitations to configured calls.
Guard the changes.

Hide references to your profile in forwarded messages

When send a conversation to other users, these can forward your chats to their contacts, so it will appear (to people you do not know) references from your profile.

To improve privacy in this situation, you will need to continue with these steps to strengthen your Telegram account:

Enter the option Privacy & Security, within the menu Settings.
Then select the option Forwarded messages inside the field Privacy.
An example will appear with your account link, which will be what other Telegram users will see. If you want to modify this situation you will have to go to the field Who can add a link to my account when forwarding my messages? in which you will find three alternatives.
Check the box No one or My contacts to keep your privacy safe.
In this case you can also click Add exceptions to cancel the previous settings.
Press on Okay for the changes to be saved.

Hide last connection

You can prevent other people from knowing when was the last time you used the platform. Thanks to this configuration the other members will find an indeterminate connection that will offer Telegram.

This task can be done by following this step by step:

Go to the upper left corner from your screen and click on the icon that you will find in that sector.
Then, you will have to press on the tool Settings, represented with a cogwheel.
What you should do now is search for the function Security and privacy and press on it.
Then find the field Privacy.
Choose the function Last time and online and enter this menu.
Check the box No one and if you want you can mark My contacts inside section Who can find me by my number? to keep your account more protected.
By last, you can incorporate exceptions so that these users can see your last connection.
When you have finished click on the tilde located in the upper right corner.

Hide your username in group

If you want to prevent other group users from seeing your name, you will have to carry out this process:

Click on the three lines in the left corner of the screen.
Then access the menu Settings.
The previous step will take you to find, under your profile photo, the Username. So you will have to press in this field to activate the writing.
Delete the alias that you have written.
Click on the tick from the corner to confirm your action.

Block toxic contacts

If for any reason you want to block a contact that bothers you or you no longer want to have a conversation with that account, you can block it in a very simple way. Remember that neither he nor you will be able to see the account updates.

For this you will have to do this step by step:

When you are in the chat window Find the message that the contact you want to block sent you. Otherwise, click on the magnifying glass and write your name until you find it.
Then, hold down chat until marked.
Go to the upper right corner and click on the icon of the three points.
When the menu is displayed click Block user.