Data Collected When Reporting Technical Issues to Telegram Support

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Telegram generally maintains a strong stance on user privacy, emphasizing minimal data collection. However, when users report technical issues to Telegram support, certain data must be collected to effectively diagnose and resolve the problem. The specific information gathered is usually limited to what's necessary for troubleshooting, rather than extensive personal profiling.

Direct Information Provided by the User:

When a user initiates a support request, they typically provide:

Description of the Issue: This is the most crucial piece telegram data of information. Users are expected to clearly describe the bug, glitch, or problem they are experiencing. This often includes:
What happened (e.g., "messages not sending," "notifications not appearing," "app crashing").
When it started.
Whether it's intermittent or constant.
Specific steps to reproduce the issue (e.g., "open chat, tap attachment, app crashes").
Screenshots or Videos: Users are often encouraged to attach visual evidence of the problem. This can be highly valuable for support staff in understanding the user's experience.
Contextual Details: To narrow down the problem, support might ask for:
Device information: Type of device (e.g., iPhone 15, Samsung Galaxy S24), operating system version (e.g., iOS 17, Android 14), and Telegram app version.
Connection type: Whether the issue occurs on Wi-Fi, mobile data, or both.
Specific accounts/chats involved: While not typically asking for message content, they might need details like usernames or chat IDs if the problem is specific to a certain conversation or user.
Time and Timezone: This helps correlate events in their system logs.
Technical Data Automatically Collected/Accessed (with user interaction):

To assist in diagnosis, Telegram may access or request technical data that helps pinpoint the root cause:

User's Phone Number or Username/Footer Tag: This is essential for support to identify the user's account within their system and look up relevant logs or account settings.
IP Address (associated with the session at the time of reporting): This can help identify server-side issues or regional network problems.
App Logs (potentially): In more complex or persistent issues, Telegram support might guide a user to collect and send app logs. These logs contain technical information about the app's performance, errors, and network activity, but generally do not include the content of messages. They help developers understand the sequence of events leading to the bug.
Connectivity Test Results: Telegram might prompt users to run internal connectivity tests (e.g., via a bot like @connectivity_test) to provide data on network reachability and performance.
What Telegram Aims NOT to Collect/Access:

True to its privacy principles, Telegram generally avoids collecting or requesting:

Content of Private/Secret Chats: Due to end-to-end encryption, Telegram cannot access the content of Secret Chats. For cloud chats, while technically stored on their servers, access for support purposes is highly restricted and only occurs in very specific, legally sanctioned circumstances (like a valid court order in certain criminal cases, as per recent policy changes, but not for routine technical support).
Real Names (beyond username/display name): Telegram uses phone numbers as unique identifiers, but doesn't typically require users to provide their real names for account creation or basic use.
Sensitive Personal Information: Information not directly relevant to the technical issue (e.g., full address, gender, age) is not requested.
In summary, when reporting technical issues, Telegram focuses on gathering the minimum necessary information to diagnose and resolve the problem. This includes user-provided details about the issue and specific technical identifiers or logs that help their support and development teams understand the bug's context and behavior. The emphasis remains on protecting user privacy while ensuring the functionality and security of the service.