Telegram Data Accessibility: What Users and Admins Can See

[mostakimvip06]

Telegram's design prioritizes privacy and user control, but the data accessible to individual users and group/channel administrators varies significantly based on privacy settings, roles, and the type of chat or public space.

I. Data Accessible to Individual Users:

As a regular Telegram user, you have access to:

Your Own Account Data:
Profile Information: Your chosen display name, username (@username, if set), profile picture(s), and "About" information (bio).
Phone Number: You can see your own registered phone number.
Two-Step Verification (2SV) Details: Your telegram data recovery email (if set) and security password.
Active Sessions: A list of all devices where your Telegram account is currently logged in, with the ability to terminate any session remotely.
Contact List: Your synced contacts (if you've enabled contact syncing) and their Telegram usernames/display names.
Blocked Users List: A list of users you have blocked.
Privacy Settings: The ability to customize who can see your phone number, last seen & online status, profile photo, who can forward your messages, who can add you to groups, and who can call you.
Saved Messages: Your personal cloud storage for messages, media, and files.
Chat Content and Media:
Regular Cloud Chats: All messages, photos, videos, and files shared in your regular one-on-one and group chats. These are stored on Telegram's servers and synchronized across your logged-in devices.
Secret Chats: Messages, photos, and videos in end-to-end encrypted Secret Chats. These are device-specific and are not stored on Telegram's cloud. They also feature self-destruct timers and screenshot prevention (though this can be bypassed).

Channel Posts: Content posted in channels you are subscribed to.
Metadata of Chats and Messages (Limited):
Message Timestamps: When messages were sent or edited.
View Counts: For messages in channels and public groups (the number of times a message has been viewed).
Reactions: Emojis used to react to messages.
Message Status: Whether a message has been delivered (one checkmark) and read (two checkmarks).
Public Information of Other Users:
Display Name and Username: If a user has set a public username, it's visible. Otherwise, only their display name is visible.
Profile Picture: Subject to their privacy settings.
About Information: Subject to their privacy settings.
"Last Seen" Status: Subject to their privacy settings (e.g., "Last seen recently," "Last seen within a week," "Last seen a month ago," or a precise timestamp if permitted).
II. Data Accessible to Group and Channel Administrators:

Admins have elevated privileges that grant them access to additional data and control within the specific group or channel they manage:

Member List:
Groups: Admins can see the full list of members in a group, including their display names, usernames (if set), and profile pictures. For large groups (supergroups), the full list of members might not be immediately visible to all members, but admins can access it.
Channels: Channel subscribers are typically anonymous to other subscribers. However, channel administrators can see the list of subscribers and their associated public profile information (display name, username, profile picture).
Recent Actions Log: Admins of supergroups and channels have access to a "Recent Actions" log. This log records various administrative actions and some user activities within the group/channel, such as:
Messages deleted by admins or the creator.
Edited messages.
Changes to group/channel settings (e.g., name, photo, permissions).
Members joining or leaving the group/channel.
Members being promoted or demoted.
Message Content (Public & Group Chats): Admins can read all messages posted in the public channels and groups they administer. They have the power to delete messages.
Channel and Group Statistics: For larger channels and groups, admins can access detailed statistics, which may include:
Subscriber/Member growth over time.
Post views and reach.
Demographics (e.g., language, general geographic distribution based on IP addresses, though not highly granular personal data).
Engagement rates.
Sources of new subscribers (e.g., from other channels, direct links).
Bot Interactions (Limited): If a bot is added to a group, and its "Privacy Mode" is off, the bot can read all messages in the group. This data is then accessible to the bot's developer. If "Privacy Mode" is on, the bot only receives messages that start with its command or mention its username. Admins often manage bots and thus indirectly control what data bots can access.
Important Considerations:

Privacy Settings: A user's individual privacy settings heavily influence what other users, and to some extent, admins, can see about them. For example, if a user sets their phone number visibility to "Nobody," even an admin might not see it, although their account is still linked to that number internally for Telegram's operation.
Secret Chats: Data in Secret Chats is never accessible to admins or Telegram itself due to end-to-end encryption.
Deleted Data: Telegram generally aims to delete data from its servers promptly when a user deletes a message or their account, though cached versions may remain on user devices until manually cleared.
In essence, while Telegram protects the content of private conversations fiercely, public groups and channels, by their nature, expose more data to administrators for management and moderation purposes. The balance lies in Telegram's commitment to user-controlled privacy settings and a transparent approach to what data is accessible in different contexts.