Обзор Telegram’s new feature gives you free Premium subscriptions, but it’s a privacy nightmare

[Обзор]

Credit: Hadlee Simons / Android Authority

• Telegram is reportedly giving away Telegram Premium subscriptions to some users.
• These users have to let Telegram use their phone number to send one-time PINs via SMS.
• Participants need to pay any carrier fees, while the program exposes the phone numbers of all parties involved.

Telegram is probably the most popular alternative to WhatsApp, often bringing innovative features to the table before WhatsApp. Now, it looks like the company is giving away Telegram Premium to a few users, but this initiative has plenty of downsides.

The company has launched a so-called Peer-To-Peer Login Program (P2PL) on Android, according to the Telegram Info English channel and the firm’s updated terms of service. This program sees Telegram using your phone number as a relay to send one-time PINs (OTPs) to fellow users via SMS so they can log in to the messaging app.