[as1mov]

Anecdotal evidence, so take this with a grain of salt - I work with a bunch of people from Ukraine and almost all of them exclusively use Telegram to keep up with the news and family back home. From talking to them for a while, it's mostly because it's free, has excellent support for sync across multiple devices (including audio, video and other media), has support for proxies to circumvent any kind of blocking, public channels for news updates.

Honestly it would be better if Telegram dropped the facade of having E2EE. It's generally very low on the priority list of most people anyway, as much as it would hurt anyone reading this, but that's the truth. People are not using it for secure messaging, but for a better UX and reliability.

EDIT: Telegram does require a phone number to sign up.

[prmoustache]

Ideally they should really use something like jami. https://jami.net/

[LudwigNagasena]

> doesn't require any personal identifier

Do they still not require ID when you buy a SIM card in Ukraine?

[as1mov]

Actually I was wrong. Just checked and Telegram does require a phone number to sign up. I haven't used it myself much, but was relaying the general reasons why regular people use it.

[theshrike79]

You need it to register, but afaik it's not shown to anyone in any way.

You can just grab any prepaid SIM and use it if that's your style

[prmoustache]

Yep but you still need to have it staying activated and on whenever you need to activate the telegram app on a device.

I was using telegram for one single usage, which was a group organizing local meetups events for expats. When I switched smartphone I really didn't want to install an app just for one group and would have preferred using telegram web to consult it occasionnally. Every time I tried logging in on a computer/smartphone it told me to validate the login from telegram on my original, now wiped clean, smartphone. I just gave up.

[0xEF]

> You need it to register, but afaik it's not shown to anyone in any way.

Then why is a phone number needed to register? If PII is "not shown to anyone in any way" then it should be completely unecessary to provide it to the service. Do not let that particular wool be pulled over your eyes.

[glitchc]

Yeah but the server can correlate it to all messages sent by you, and law enforcement can link server logs to your real identity thrpugh your telco.

[wruza]

Those who need to dissociate with a number have anonymous sim cards in abundance. Costs around $2-5 a piece when ordered in bulk.

That said, such high-tech operation is just a geeks fantasy about spies. When you cross the line where it becomes reality, you’re either a very big name with a sudden drug/rape history or a subject for waterboarding which is the most effective cryptoanalysis tool invented.

[glitchc]

While this is a well-trodden stereotype, and it certainly has merit, not all crimes are Snowden-level crimes against the state. Felonies such as embezzlement, fraud and trafficking are often investigated by exposing the digital trail. Law enforcement most definitely do pull those records with a subpoena. It's often one of the first things done (pull all banking and phone records) and is often a key ingredient in a successful conviction.

Yes, burner sims definitely help evade investigations, but they are harder to get nowadays, depending on jurisdiction. For instance you can't pay cash for a SIM in North America. It has to be a credit card or a bank transfer and that's a form of ID.

[andrewyazura]

yes, you can just get a prepaid SIM virtually anywhere. though there is an option to add your ID for security purposes