Reality: Not necessarily. While any data exposure is concerning, such incidents rarely indicate a direct breach of Telegram's core database. More often, they are due to:
Compromised unofficial clients: Users downloading and using malicious or insecure third-party Telegram applications (forks).
Abuse of legitimate features: Bad actors scraping Telegram's user IDs by leveraging the contact discovery feature with lists of numbers obtained from other data breaches.
Malware on a user's device, or phishing attacks that hijack a user's account, can lead to their contact data being exposed.
Telegram's own robust security posture for its central infrastructure has largely held up against direct breaches.
Misconception 5: "Telegram bots can just access my phone number or my entire contact list whenever they want."
Reality: This is false. Telegram bots operate under strict API limitations designed for user privacy.
A bot cannot automatically access your phone number. It can only obtain it if you explicitly press a special KeyboardButton with request_contact=True, which triggers a clear, native Telegram confirmation prompt for your consent.
Bots cannot access your full contact list. If you share another user with a bot via request_user=True, the bot typically only receives their user_id, not their phone number. Phone number visibility for that shared user is still subject to their own privacy settings.
Misconception 6: "If I delete my Telegram account, my telegram number database phone number is immediately and permanently erased from all Telegram records."
Reality: While Telegram initiates a deletion process immediately, there might be a very short grace period or residual data retention for legal or technical reasons, as outlined in their privacy policy. However, your account becomes inaccessible, and your associated data is set for deletion. Importantly, if your old phone number is later reassigned to a new subscriber, they will not gain access to your previous account data, as it would have been deleted or migrated. Telegram aims for timely deletion consistent with providing the service and legal obligations.
By understanding these realities, users can make more informed decisions about their privacy settings and digital interactions on Telegram.How Telegram Protects Your Phone Number from Strangers.