Over the past 10 years, Telegram has emerged as one of the leading messaging apps in the world. Let’s take a look back at its journey and understand its exponential growth.
Brief History of Telegram:
Telegram is a cloud-based instant messaging service, similar to other popular apps like WhatsApp, Viber, and WeChat. It was founded by Nikolai and Pavel Durov, two brothers of Russian origin.
Telegram has always been known for its pro-privacy stance and resistance to government demands. This has led to it being banned or temporarily blocked in some countries. Despite these challenges, it has continued to grow and become one of the most popular messaging apps in the world.
The platform stands out for its unique features, such as public channels, the ability to send large files, and personalized “Stickers.” At the same time, it has faced criticism and concerns related to the spread of misinformation and extremist content on its platform, given its hands-off stance.
Evolution of Telegram Over the Years:
- 2006: Pavel Durov founds the social network VKontakte (VK), which quickly becomes the Russian equivalent of Facebook and one of the most popular websites in Russia.
- 2013: The Durov brothers launch Telegram in August. They describe it as a means of communication that Russian authorities cannot access and highlight their focus on speed and security, including strong end-to-end encryption.
- 2014: Pavel Durov leaves VK after disputes with shareholders and allegations of pressure from the Russian government. He focuses on Telegram and promotes the idea of freedom of speech and privacy.
- Until 2020: Telegram is growing in popularity, especially in regions where people are concerned about privacy or where other communication platforms are censored or banned. The app has also been introducing various features over time, such as secret chats, groups, bots, channels, and voice calls.
- 2020: Telegram reaches 400 million monthly active users.
- 2021: In January, following the controversy over WhatsApp's privacy policy changes, many users began to migrate to Telegram and Signal. Telegram reported a significant increase in new signups during this period.
Distinctive Features of Telegram:
Unlike many messengers, Telegram offers:
- Secret Chats: Self-destructing conversations, ensuring maximum privacy.
- These messages are ideal for sensitive conversations and the user can set a time for them to be automatically deleted.
- Bots and Channels: Platforms for automation and dissemination of information.
- Bots allow for the creation of custom functions, while channels facilitate mass communication.
Security and Privacy on Telegram:
Since the beginning, security has always been a priority for Telegram:
First, there’s end-to-end encryption: This ensures that only the sender and the recipient can read the message. This encryption then protects conversations from interception, further strengthening their security. In addition, anti-hacker protection provides multiple layers of defense to prevent attacks. Finally, with measures ranging from two-step verification to blocking suspicious attempts, Telegram demonstrates its ongoing commitment to keeping its users safe.
The Future of Telegram:
Still, Telegram continues to innovate, delivering promises of more features and greater integration, and of course, always putting user security first.
Over the past 10 years, Telegram has been characterized by constant innovation and a growing user base. This journey, while full of challenges, demonstrates that through continued focus on privacy and innovation, it is possible to establish a messenger that millions of people trust.
