What Privacy Settings Directly Impact Telegram's Data Collection?

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Telegram is widely recognized for its focus on privacy and security, but like any digital platform, it collects some data to provide its services effectively. Thankfully, Telegram offers various privacy settings that allow users to control what data is shared and collected. Understanding which privacy settings directly impact Telegram’s data collection can help you manage your digital footprint and maintain greater control over your personal information.

1. Phone Number Visibility
Your phone number is a key piece of telegram data personal data on Telegram. By default, it is linked to your account but is not publicly visible. You can control who sees your phone number through Settings > Privacy and Security > Phone Number. You have three options:

Everybody: Your number is visible to all Telegram users.

My Contacts: Only people saved in your contacts can see your number.

Nobody: No one can see your phone number.

Limiting phone number visibility reduces Telegram’s exposure of your primary identifier and limits who can associate your account with your phone number.

2. Last Seen & Online Status
Telegram collects and shows information about when you were last online or currently online, which is technically metadata about your activity. You can adjust these settings under Settings > Privacy and Security > Last Seen & Online. Options include:

Everybody

My Contacts

Nobody

You can also add exceptions for specific users to hide or show your last seen status. Restricting this information limits the amount of activity metadata Telegram collects about your online behavior.

3. Profile Photos
Your profile picture is another element of personal data that can be managed. Under Settings > Privacy and Security > Profile Photos, you can choose who can view your profile pictures:

Everybody

My Contacts

Nobody

Restricting profile photo visibility reduces the data Telegram processes about your identity and how you appear to others.

4. Forwarded Messages
Telegram allows others to forward your messages, and these forwarded messages may include a link back to your profile. To control this, go to Settings > Privacy and Security > Forwarded Messages and decide who can link back to your account:

Everybody

My Contacts

Nobody

Limiting forwarding visibility helps prevent Telegram from associating forwarded content with your account, reducing metadata exposure.

5. Calls and Voice Chats
Under Privacy and Security > Calls, you can control who can call you or add you to voice chats. Options include restricting calls to contacts or specific users, thereby limiting metadata related to your voice communication.

6. Active Sessions and Devices
Telegram tracks where your account is logged in through active sessions. You can review and terminate sessions under Settings > Devices > Active Sessions. Removing unused sessions limits Telegram’s ongoing data collection from devices you no longer use.

7. Data for Ads and Analytics
Although Telegram claims it does not sell user data or show traditional ads, it does collect some data for service improvement. You can control analytics and ad data collection by toggling off options like Use my data for ad targeting and Send crash reports in Settings > Privacy and Security.

8. Secret Chats
Secret Chats offer the highest level of privacy on Telegram, using end-to-end encryption. Since messages in Secret Chats are stored only on users’ devices and not on Telegram’s servers, this setting drastically limits data collection for those conversations.

Conclusion
Telegram’s privacy settings provide users with powerful tools to limit the scope of data collected by the platform. By managing phone number visibility, last seen status, profile photo access, forwarded message linking, call permissions, and active sessions, users can significantly reduce the personal data Telegram processes. Utilizing Secret Chats further protects message content from any data collection. Regularly reviewing and adjusting these privacy settings empowers users to take control of their information and enjoy a more private Telegram experience.