Customizable Identity: Beyond your username and numerical ID, your profile picture, display name, and optional "About" section contribute to your Telegram identity.
Privacy Controls: Telegram allows you to control the visibility of these elements:
Profile Photo: You can set who can see your profile photo (Everybody, My Contacts, Nobody).
Last Seen & Online: You can control who sees your last seen timestamp and online status (Everybody, My Contacts, Nobody, or even "Nobody" for some contacts/groups).
Forwarded Messages: You can prevent your telegram number database name/username from being clickable when someone forwards your messages (this helps prevent others from tracing forwarded content back to you).
User Choice: The level of personal information revealed through these elements is entirely at the user's discretion.
4. Anonymous Numbers via Fragment (+888 numbers)
SIM-Free Identity: As discussed, Telegram offers official anonymous numbers (starting with +888) purchasable on its Fragment platform using Toncoin.
True Anonymity at Registration: These numbers allow users to create a Telegram account without linking it to any traditional telecom service or personal identity, offering a high degree of anonymity from the very first step.
Blockchain Ownership: The ownership of these numbers is recorded on the TON blockchain, making them decentralized and secure.
The Ecosystem of Identity:
Phone Number (Foundation): Required for initial registration, core security, and account recovery.
User ID (Internal Identifier): Used by the system, bots, and APIs.