Secret chats are end-to-end encrypted and not stored on Telegram's servers
Secret chats use end-to-end encryption, so all data is encrypted with a key that only you and the recipient know. Telegram says it cannot learn the content of those messages, does not store secret chats on its servers and keeps no logs of secret-chat messages, so after a short period it no longer knows who you messaged or when. Secret chats are not available in the cloud; you can access those messages only from the device they were sent to or from.
Supporting quotations
Secret chats use end-to-end encryption. This means that all data is encrypted with a key that only you and the recipient know. There is no way for us or anybody else without direct access to your device to learn what content is being sent in those messages. We do not store your secret chats on our servers. We also do not keep any logs for messages in secret chats, so after a short period of time we no longer know who or when you messaged via secret chats.
you can only access those messages from the device they were sent to or from.
Qualifications & exceptions
Media sent in secret chats is handled differently on the server side; see the next card on secret-chat media.
Not stated here
"After a short period of time" is not defined, so how long Telegram knows who messaged whom in a secret chat is not stated.
Security & Safeguards · Company practice
Secret-chat media is encrypted per item; the unreadable file sits on Telegram's servers until purged
Photos, videos and files sent in secret chats are each encrypted with a separate key that the server does not know. That key and the file's location are encrypted again with the secret chat's key and sent to the recipient. Telegram says the file is technically on one of its servers but looks like indecipherable random data, it does not know what the data is or which chat it belongs to, and it periodically purges this data from its servers to save disk space.
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When you send photos, videos or files via secret chats, before being uploaded, each item is encrypted with a separate key, not known to the server.
This means that the file is technically on one of Telegram’s servers, but it looks like a piece of random indecipherable garbage to everyone except for you and the recipient. We don’t know what this random data stands for and we have no idea which particular chat it belongs to. We periodically purge this random data from our servers to save disk space.
Qualifications & exceptions
This is the one place the policy says encrypted secret-chat content is held on Telegram's servers, even though section 3.3.2 says Telegram does not store secret chats on its servers; the policy describes the held file as unreadable to Telegram.
Not stated here
How often the data is purged is not stated.
Cross-references
contrast (model-proposed): Secret chats are end-to-end encrypted and not stored on Telegram's servers — contrast: Section 3.3.2 says Telegram does not store secret chats on its servers, while section 3.3.3 says the per-item encrypted file for secret-chat media is technically on a Telegram server until purged; Telegram describes the held file as unreadable.
Security & Safeguards · Company practice
End-to-end encrypted data (secret chats, call contents, Passport data) is processed only on devices
Messages, media and files from secret chats, the contents of your calls and the data you store in Telegram Passport are processed only on your device and your recipient's device. Before this data reaches Telegram's servers it is encrypted with a key known only to you and the recipient. Telegram's servers handle it to deliver it to the recipient, or store it in the case of Telegram Passport data, but Telegram says it has no way of deciphering it and that it stores and processes only random sequences of symbols that mean nothing without the keys it does not have.
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Your messages, media and files from secret chats (see section 3.3.2 above), as well as the contents of your calls and the data you store in your
are processed only on your device and on the device of your recipient. Before this data reaches our servers, it is encrypted with a key known only to you and the recipient. While Telegram servers will handle this end-to-end encrypted data to deliver it to the recipient – or store it in the case of Telegram Passport data, we have no ways of deciphering the actual information.
In this case, we neither store nor process your personal data, rather we store and process random sequences of symbols that have no meaning without the keys
We do not store your secret chats on our servers.
Qualifications & exceptions
This is Telegram's own account of what its servers hold for end-to-end encrypted data.
Section 3.3.3 notes that the encrypted file for secret-chat media is technically held on a Telegram server until purged.
Security & Safeguards · Company practice
Moderators may check reported messages; confirmed spam can limit your account, serious violations a ban
To prevent phishing, spam and other abuse and violations of Telegram's Terms of Service, Telegram moderators may check messages that recipients reported to them. If a spam report on a message you sent is confirmed by moderators, your account may be limited from contacting strangers, temporarily or permanently, and you can send an appeal using @Spambot. For more serious violations your account may be banned.
Supporting quotations
To prevent phishing, spam and other kinds of abuse and violations of Telegram’s Terms of Service, our moderators may check messages that were reported to them by their recipients. If a spam report on a message you sent is confirmed by our moderators, your account may be limited from contacting strangers – temporarily or permanently. You can send an appeal using
In case of more serious violations, your account may be banned.
Qualifications & exceptions
Moderator review is described as covering messages that recipients reported.
Security & Safeguards · Company practice
Telegram says it is open source and points to published code for checking app-store builds
Telegram says it is an open source project and points to more information on its API, Bot Platform, protocol and source code. It also points to a page for confirming that Telegram apps downloaded from app stores use the same code that Telegram publishes (reproducible builds).
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Telegram is an open source project. You can find more information on our:
API at:
Bot Platform at:
Protocol at:
Source Code at:
Confirm that Telegram apps downloaded from app stores are using the same code that we publish at:
Not stated here
The link targets are not part of the saved text, so which components are published and what the verification covers are not shown here.