# Telegram
Telegram is a great messaging app filled with features. In particular it
has broadcast channels which can be fantastic for sharing information
widely. But is it suitable for group chats?
### Security
Although Telegram's
website would have
you believe otherwise, Telegram actually provides the worst security out
of all the apps being compared here
[1]
[2].
One of the reasons why this is the case is because **Telegram group
chats are not end-to-end encrypted**. Telegram does allow users to have
secret chats with self-destructing
messages.
However, this is not available for group chats so all of the messages
that you send to a group chat will be stored on a server somewhere
accessible to the authorities.
Another serious problem with Telegram's security is that **messages are
sent using Telegram's own** **private encryption
protocol** as opposed to something used more widely. This means that it has not been as thoroughly tested and many
security
vulnerabilities have been exposed in the past.
It can be compromised if malware is installed on the phone or computer, or other people have access to that device if they use your login. Or if you have infiltrators - no app protects against those.
### Accessibility
Telegram is one of the most accessible apps available. You don't need a
smartphone to sign up, just a phone number, and it can be used on
practically any
device.
### Features
Telegram is very useful for broadcast channels in which only admins can post. Links for these can then be shared on wider channels, e.g. Rebellion Broadcast. However, widely shared links attract spammers so they need to be carefully moderated.
### Discoverability
Telegram has some excellent features that make group chats easy to find
and join. Like Signal and WhatsApp, users can share a link to the chat
that people can use to join it. However, you can also search for public
Telegram channels from inside Telegram. This makes it easy to find and
contact broadcast groups but can also lead to spam since anyone can join these channels - even if they are not a member of XR.
Use this information to help you[ hide your details from spammers](https://rebeltoolkit.extinctionrebellion.uk/books/other-online-tech-tools/page/hide-your-phone-number-from-others-using-telegram).
And this information about [removing spamers](https://rebeltoolkit.extinctionrebellion.uk/books/internal-comms/page/telegram-how-to-remove-spammers).
### Drawbacks
Telegram is really a social media platform and has a very ‘relaxed’ content moderation strategy- this means it is targeted by spammers if you have open channels. You have to be on top of moderating it!
Some people find it difficult as you can\'t save messages for later or mark them as unread so you constantly
lose key info and can\'t find it again. However, you can pin key threads at the top of the chat list.
It\'s limited in terms of formatting messages and if you
want to broadcast and add an image there\'s a character limit so you
have to be able to either fit your message into that limit or miss out
key info.