Telegram has over 500 million active users, making it one of the world’s most popular messaging apps. With a global pandemic on our hands, apps that allow for unfettered access to communication with others are of particularly high demand, and Telegram is obviously no exception.
What Is Telegram?
One of the selling points of Telegram is that it allows for secure communication with people anywhere in the world, including places where communication via a phone plan would prove difficult.
Unlike WhatsApp, its primary rival, Telegram is not connected with Facebook, and the smaller scale makes many people feel more at ease regarding the platform’s security.
That being said, the security of Telegram is far from air-tight. Like most apps of the same type, Telegram has access to a lot of your data, and it doesn’t give you many options to avoid giving it up. Telegram functions on your personal cellular device, a personal hub for all of your information ranging from passwords to financial info in the modern era.
When you allow an app onto your personal mobile device, it is in your best interest to give it as little of your personal information as you can. However, Telegram asks for your personal number and because it is a messaging app it gives you no option to avoid that.
When it comes to your phone, having the option to make yourself more secure is something you should be doing at all stages.
Telegram’s Security
Despite the emphasis on security, Telegram has a well-documented history of being lacking in that department. Telegram only provides end-to-end encryption for people in secret chats; outside of this feature, that form of encryption is not provided for its users.
This means that your messages are stored on Telegram’s servers, and that data is not encrypted by default. Unlike its competitors, Telegram does not directly track metadata that includes your phone number. However, you are still required to provide your phone number to access its services.
With all of this in mind, Telegram’s ability to help you maintain your anonymity can be seen as lacking. Without a phone number, you cannot get past the account creation phase, given that you have to provide a phone number and verify yourself as the owner.
This means that even if you were to find a service online that could generate a fake phone number for you, you wouldn’t be able to go through with the authentication process, and you would be unable to access Telegram.
This can be frustrating for people who want Telegram’s services but are unwilling to compromise their security and anonymity.
What Is the Value of a Burner Phone?
Burner phones are a great way to create accounts. It allows you to provide a phone number that isn’t tied to your personal information, giving you freedom and security when accessing services online.
A burner phone is a cheap and prepaid phone that you have in addition to your main device for anything that you don’t want to be stored on your personal cell. In the case of Telegram, you can use a burner phone to create an account and verify that account without giving up your original phone number.
The primary limitation is that burner phones generally do not give you data. Call and texts are the main services available to users of a burner phone, and apps are not usually accessible.
Once again, these devices are not fully functioning smartphones, but they are temporary devices that serve a purpose and protect your security. This means that you can’t run Telegram on a burner phone, and you can only use the phone number.
Another barrier is the cost, as burner phones are an expensive solution if you don’t utilize them regularly.
How To Use the Burner App
With the Burner app, you get a second phone number and the ability to send messages and make calls with it using your already existing mobile phone.
More importantly, your real phone number and information are kept private and secure, with no way of tracing it back to your device even though you are using it yourself. You can burn the number just like any burner phone when you are done with the service.
Luckily, many of the limitations of burner phones are solved with the Burner app. At a practical level, Burner functions the same way as a normal burner phone with one major difference: it is completely accessible through your own personal device.
In the context of Telegram, you can use this service to create a number that you can use to make a Telegram account and verify your identity on the same device you install the Telegram app on.
There is no need to go out and purchase a second phone and phone plan; with Burner, you can keep your information safe and secure on your cell phone. With all the worries surrounding Telegram and its encryption process, this is a great way to get yourself some peace of mind regarding the safety of your personal information.
Conclusion
Telegram is a popular service, and there are many benefits to using it. As a result, you don’t want to feel bogged down by worries about your security when deciding whether or not to use it.
Burner is a service that can alleviate some of those fears by letting you take control of how much information you are allowing Telegram to take from you. With a second phone number, you can create your account without tying your information to it, giving you some breathing room amid the security concerns when working with Telegram.
Get the Burner app now and create a second number you can use with Telegram.
Sources:
Telegram Revenue and Usage Statistics (2021) | Business of Apps
Telegram: What it is and how to use it | Tom's Guide
WhatsApp vs Telegram: Which messaging app should I use? | TechAdvisor
'Burner' phones aren't just for criminals. Here's why you should have one | USA Today
