Telegram isn't just a messaging app anymore. With over 900 million users and 2.5 million active public news channels, it's become one of the most powerful platforms for breaking news-especially in places where traditional media is blocked or silenced. But that power comes with serious dangers. While you might rely on Telegram for real-time updates during a crisis, you're also stepping into a wild west of unverified claims, automated bots, and criminal networks disguised as news sources.
Telegram’s Speed Comes at a Cost
Telegram spreads news faster than any major platform. MIT’s 2024 Media Lab found messages travel 23% quicker than on Twitter. During the Kyiv blackout in 2024, users reported Telegram was the only source giving minute-by-minute updates. That speed is invaluable when governments shut down internet access. But speed without verification is dangerous.
False stories on Telegram reach 20,000+ people in just 17 minutes on average, according to DeepStrike’s 2025 analysis. That’s more than twice as fast as misinformation on Twitter. Why? Because Telegram doesn’t use algorithms to filter content. There’s no fact-checking team, no community reporting system that actually works, and no way to tell if the channel posting a video of a bombing is real-or a deepfake created by a bot.
No Accountability, No Verification
Anyone can create a news channel on Telegram. All you need is a phone number-and that number can be bought online, stolen, or generated by a bot. There’s no identity verification. No blue check. No proof of affiliation. In August 2025, Brandefense found that 68% of malicious news channels used bots to automatically post, like, and share content to make them look popular and trustworthy.
Users struggle to tell the difference. Pew Research’s April 2025 survey showed only 23% of Telegram users check the source before sharing news. That’s the lowest rate of any major platform. Meanwhile, Twitter’s Birdwatch and Facebook’s third-party fact-checkers process about 15,000 claims daily with 87% accuracy. Telegram? Nothing. No system. No oversight.
Criminal Activity Thrives in the Shadows
Telegram’s lack of moderation makes it a magnet for crime. IBM Security’s 2025 report called it “the epicenter of cybercrime.” Bot networks don’t just spread fake news-they sell stolen credit cards, distribute malware, and run phishing scams. In 2025, Kaspersky tracked 68% of banned malicious channels relaunching under new names within days.
Real people get hurt. Trustpilot reviews from November 2025 show users losing thousands of dollars to fake investment schemes promoted through channels with 50,000+ subscribers. One user, Elena M., lost €3,000 to a channel that looked like a legitimate financial advisor. It wasn’t. It was a bot farm.
Even worse, UNICEF’s 2025 Digital Safety Report found that 29% of Telegram users accidentally encountered child exploitation material while browsing news channels. These aren’t hidden corners of the app-they’re public, searchable, and often trending.
Legitimate News Gets Lost in the Noise
It’s not all bad. Independent media in Russia, Belarus, and Iran rely on Telegram to survive. Meduza reported that 78% of Russian independent outlets use Telegram to reach audiences when their websites are blocked. In 2024, a single Belarusian news channel reached 1.2 million subscribers after being banned everywhere else.
But even these legitimate channels suffer. Telegram’s crackdowns are messy. In Q3 2025, the platform taked down 15,000 suspicious channels-but 22% of them were real news outlets caught in the crossfire. Reporters Without Borders documented cases where journalists lost access to their channels for days while waiting for a response from Telegram’s under-resourced support team.
And now, major media organizations are pulling back. The Reuters Institute found that only 28% of top newsrooms now use Telegram as a primary distribution channel-down from 49% in 2023. Why? Because they can’t risk spreading unverified content. The platform’s reputation for misinformation is too high.
The Platform’s Architecture Is the Problem
Telegram’s design makes moderation nearly impossible. Unlike WhatsApp, it doesn’t use end-to-end encryption for channels-only for private “Secret Chats.” That means messages, videos, and documents are stored on Telegram’s own servers, which are centralized and located across multiple countries. No one outside the company can audit the code. No independent security firm can verify what’s happening behind the scenes.
And Telegram doesn’t want you to. The company refuses to share server logs with law enforcement unless forced by a court order. Even then, compliance is inconsistent. While Telegram claims to comply with 87% of U.S. court orders for serious crimes, Kaspersky found that in 68% of cases, banned operators simply reappear under new names. The platform’s structure rewards evasion.
Even the “premium” version-$5.99 a month-doesn’t fix this. You get more storage, faster downloads, and custom themes. But no extra verification tools. No way to flag fake channels faster. No support team that understands news integrity.
What Users Are Doing to Protect Themselves
Some users have learned the hard way how dangerous Telegram can be. A growing community of independent watchdogs-like the 18,500-member group “Telegram News Watchdog”-tries to verify channels and expose scams. But they’re fighting a losing battle.
Security experts recommend three steps:
- Enable two-step verification in your account settings (only 28% of users do this).
- Manually check every news channel against the outlet’s official website or Twitter account before trusting it.
- Use third-party tools like Bot Sentinel to scan for suspicious activity (used by just 19% of power users).
But these steps take time. Most people don’t have 3-5 minutes to verify every channel they stumble upon. And Telegram doesn’t make it easier. Its official help center has only 3 pages on misinformation. Twitter’s guide? 27 pages.
The Future Is Uncertain
Telegram’s user growth has stalled. After hitting 900 million monthly active users in Q3 2025, projections of 1 billion were abandoned. Regulatory pressure is mounting. The European Union’s Digital Services Act forced Telegram to increase moderation, leading to a 320% spike in channel takedowns between late 2024 and mid-2025. Pavel Durov, Telegram’s founder, was arrested in France in August 2024 for allegedly facilitating online crime.
Some criminals are leaving. The Bl00dy ransomware gang publicly announced they were quitting Telegram in February 2025. Underground forums like BFRepo moved to private messengers.
But for journalists in authoritarian states, Telegram remains essential. The question isn’t whether it should be banned-it’s whether it can be fixed. Gartner predicts a 60% drop in Telegram’s news relevance by 2028. Forrester says it will remain vital for crisis reporting. Both agree on one thing: the current model is unsustainable.
Telegram gives people a voice when no one else will. But it also gives a voice to liars, criminals, and manipulators. Right now, there’s no way to separate the two. Until that changes, using Telegram for news means accepting a high risk with little reward.
Is Telegram safe to use for breaking news?
No, not without extreme caution. Telegram is the fastest platform for real-time updates, especially during crises or internet shutdowns. But it has no fact-checking, no verification system, and no way to tell if a channel is legitimate. Many users have lost money or been misled by fake news. Use it only if you independently verify every source before sharing.
Why do so many fake news channels exist on Telegram?
Because Telegram allows anyone to create a public channel with just a phone number-and there’s no identity verification. Bots can automatically post content, fake likes, and make channels look popular. With no algorithmic filtering or human moderation, false stories spread unchecked. In 2025, 68% of malicious channels used bots to manipulate visibility.
Can I trust news channels with lots of subscribers?
No. Subscriber count means nothing on Telegram. A channel with 100,000 members could be run by a bot farm. Brandefense found that 43% of top news channels have fake copies designed to trick users. Always check the channel’s official website, Twitter, or other verified platforms before trusting its content. Look for links to official media outlets or public contact info.
What should I do if I see false news on Telegram?
Report the channel through Telegram’s built-in reporting tool. But don’t expect quick results-only 12% of reports lead to a takedown within 24 hours. Also, warn others in your group or chat. Share the original source from a verified outlet to correct the misinformation. The best defense is awareness and sharing accurate information.
Are there better alternatives to Telegram for news?
Yes. For verified news, stick to traditional outlets like Reuters, BBC, or AP. For real-time updates with some moderation, Twitter (X) and Mastodon have better reporting systems. For decentralized alternatives, Matrix-based apps are growing fast and offer end-to-end encryption with community moderation. NewsGuard is used by 63% of European newsrooms to verify sources-consider using it as a browser extension.
Why hasn’t Telegram fixed these problems?
Telegram’s core philosophy is privacy over safety. The company prioritizes user anonymity and resistance to censorship-even if that means allowing criminals and disinformation operators to thrive. While they’ve increased cooperation with law enforcement in serious cases, they refuse to implement content moderation tools that could compromise their model. Their business model doesn’t rely on ads or data collection, so they have little incentive to fix the platform’s reputation.
