Telegram’s Risky Premium Offer: Telegram, a popular messaging app, has recently started offering free premium membership to users who sign up for a feature that brings potential privacy risks. This new feature provides free Telegram Premium but at the cost of user privacy. To avail of the free Telegram subscription, users must allow their phones to receive SMS login codes for other users, posing a major security and privacy risk.
This offer is available only on Android phones and only for people from certain countries. At most 150 SMS codes would be sent monthly, but users would be responsible for any associated carrier costs. Once the minimum monthly number is met, users will receive a gift code for a monthly Premium plan.
However, this offer runs afoul of common sense security and privacy in many ways. First, any fellow Telegram user with whom you share an SMS code could see your phone number. Second, you’d be able to see the phone numbers of anyone you send a code to. Third, this whole scheme violates the purpose of multi-factor authentication in which your phone number plays a major security role.
Telegram has always touted its commitment to security. However, this offer is surprising coming from a company like Telegram, which normally prides itself on the security and privacy it offers through its messaging app.
Conclusion
Telegram’s Risky Premium Offer: Telegram’s new feature of offering free premium membership in exchange for users agreeing to receive and forward OTPs is a double-edged sword. While it provides the benefit of a premium subscription, it poses significant privacy and security risks. This move is shocking for a company like Telegram, which has always prioritized user security and privacy. Users must therefore make an informed decision, weighing the benefits of a free premium subscription against the potential risks to their privacy and security. It’s a stark reminder that in the digital world, ‘free’ often comes with a hidden cost.
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