one of my channels is already up for sale: https://fragment.com/?query=developingit I think they've just screwed up everything telegram was based on, no freedom, no privacy, no security!
How many inactive channels did you have?
Telegram has stolen my channel's username to sell it on auction
21–30 of 90 posts
Re: Telegram has stolen my channel's username to sell it on auction
#22> Until recently, 70% of all Telegram usernames had been reserved in inactive channels by cybersquatters from Iran. This created a graveyard of dead usernames that cluttered search results and prevented millions of Telegram users from selecting appropriate public addresses for their accounts, groups and channels. https://t.me/durov/195
> We noticed this problem and therefore have found a very profitable solution to sell everyone
Re: Telegram has stolen my channel's username to sell it on auction
#23This is fucking crazy interesting. Can't wait for this drama to unfold.
Re: Telegram has stolen my channel's username to sell it on auction
#24> Until recently, 70% of all Telegram usernames had been reserved in inactive channels by cybersquatters from Iran. This created a graveyard of dead usernames that cluttered search results and prevented millions of Telegram users from selecting appropriate public addresses for their accounts, groups and channels. https://t.me/durov/195
> We noticed this problem and therefore have found a very profitable solution to sell everyone
They have to pay for servers somehow. Selling long dead channel handles is better than privacy invasion.
Re: Telegram has stolen my channel's username to sell it on auction
#25It happened to channels and groups that were inactive for a long time. Durov did mention this in a message a few months ago that username squatters were becoming a problem. And I was mad at first but it was equally my fault for leaving my public group inactive for more than 10 months, which is probably why the username disappeared. It's a real problem on other social media websites too. For example, a totally inactiv…
I've successfully taken a username from a squatter by reaching out to github support. As long as the user doesn't have active private stuff they might be willing to help you get the username.
Re: Telegram has stolen my channel's username to sell it on auction
#26what's the guarantee that tomorrow my private channels will not become public instead and all my personal data will be exposed!? wtf is happening with durov!?!?!
There are no such guarantees. People failed to choose a protocol that is trustworthy and fell for pseudo sometimes-on encryption. He is trying to make money while the market is going down.
I wanted to object (as a happy Telegram user) that I want to preserve message history for all my devices, but then it occurred to me that iMessage is end-to-end-encrypted and also has pretty transparent message history sync.
So now I think that yeah, Telegram should adopt E2E by default.
Another thing that would be lost with the switch to E2E is server-based search, but honestly I can live with that.
Re: Telegram has stolen my channel's username to sell it on auction
#27Earlier quoted context omitted.
> Durov did mention this in a message a few months ago that username squatters were becoming a problem. This is gaslighting
It's not gaslighting if they have analytics to back the claim. https://t.me/durov/195 > Until recently, 70% of all Telegram usernames had been reserved in inactive channels by cybersquatters from Iran. This created a graveyard of dead usernames that cluttered search results and prevented millions of Telegram users from selecting appropriate public addresses for their accounts, groups and channels.
Like with every other social media platform, this is not an actual issue.
If the username that I would like to have is taken, I can pick another name that is not taken.
It is not unreasonable to take a 3 month break from a messenger app.
Search results don't have to prioritize inactive channels.
Just pulling the rug on people for money makes Telegram look very unreliable.
Compare this to how it works on reddit: people can request to take over a dead subreddit as a mod, but it requires that the subreddit has been dead for at least six months and they will try to contact the previous mod first and only transfer it to the requester if that fails. At no cost.
Re: Telegram has stolen my channel's username to sell it on auction
#28Telegram is a social network delivered through a messaging front end, which is confusing when you expect it to behave like a messaging service. It isn't one any more than Facebook or Twitter are.
Re: Telegram has stolen my channel's username to sell it on auction
#29Earlier quoted context omitted.
> We noticed this problem and therefore have found a very profitable solution to sell everyone
They have to pay for servers somehow. Selling long dead channel handles is better than privacy invasion.
It's not better when it comes at the cost of taking some of those handles away from people that were using them.
Re: Telegram has stolen my channel's username to sell it on auction
#30Why do you feel entitled to a once trademarked brand name of a radio station on a third party system that is provided for free?