[ValentineC]

> Telegram gets the "lol" because it's not default E2EE.

I use Telegram mostly for group chats, pretty much as an IRC replacement. I think that's where it really shines. :)

Agreed that even WhatsApp is more secure, but if I remember correctly, they do not promise that metadata is E2EE (if that's even possible), and Meta harvests that.

[godelski]

But just to be clear, telegram is not a privacy nor security app. It's just a communication app. It's fine that you use it, but just making sure you aren't calling an orange an apple (eat whatever fruit you want, I'm not a cop).

  > they do not promise that metadata is E2EE (if that's even possible), 

Sure it's possible. Signal does do this as well as many VPNs, things like encrypted DNS, tailscale and so on.

It's important to remember that it's also not binary. There's a whole range of metadata is. You can leave a footprint that's a very clear image of your shoe or you can leave a footprint that's a smudge that's only approximately in the size of your shoe. If you're concerned then the difference matters a lot.

While you won't leave zero trace the aforementioned apps (like signal and mullvad) do minimize the collection to the point where it isn't very useful. I mean it's metadata that you're a person, but that's not going to be helpful to identify you. Even knowing your gender probably won't but metadata's power is in it's accumulation.