Security Concerns Raised Over Telegram's Small Team and Lack of End-to-End Encryption

Security Concerns Raised Over Telegram's Small Team and Lack of End-to-End Encryption

Over the weekend, a video of Telegram founder Pavel Durov’s interview with Tucker Carlson gained attention on social media. Durov claimed he is the sole product manager and employs only about 30 engineers. While Durov praised the efficiency of his Dubai-based company, security experts raised concerns about Telegram's security. 

Matthew Green, a cryptography expert, pointed out that Telegram's default lack of end-to-end encryption and servers in the UAE pose significant risks. Telegram requires users to initiate "Secret Chats" for end-to-end encryption, and its proprietary encryption algorithm has been questioned. 

Eva Galperin from the Electronic Frontier Foundation highlighted that Telegram is more than a messaging app; it is also a social media platform with vast amounts of user data, lacking the infrastructure to handle legal requests and content moderation effectively. She questioned the quality of Telegram's engineering team and warned that the platform's small staff is a target for hackers.

Telegram, with nearly a billion users, is popular among cryptocurrency enthusiasts, extremists, hackers, and disinformation spreaders, making it a prime target for cyber attacks. Despite its popularity, experts advise against viewing Telegram as a secure messaging app due to its potential vulnerabilities.