Telegram more private than WhatsApp despite sponsored messages

Telegram has incorporated sponsored messages in large public channels, a form of advertisement that seeks to monetize the platform without being intrusive to chat users, and which, according to its founder, Pavel Durov, offers more guarantees for privacy than WhatsApp .

Durov has assured that even with the introduction of sponsored messages, users of this messaging application are “more ad-free” than users of its rival app, WhatsApp. Specifically, it has defended that its monetization tool does not share private user data with advertisers, nor will ads be displayed in chats, contrary to what happens in WhatsApp.

Specifically, he has indicated in a post on his personal channel that the rival ‘app’ shares user data with advertisers even if said ad has not been shown to them. And that, in case WhatsApp wants to incorporate a similar function to Telegram channels, the Meta ‘app’ “would probably also show ads there, as it already does on Instagram and Facebook.”

“Online ads should no longer be synonymous with abusing user privacy,” argued Durov. “We would like to redefine how technology could work by setting the example of a self-sufficient platform that respects its users and content creators,” he said.

Telegram sponsored messages
Sponsored messages are the form that ads take on Telegram. Durov has announced that they are already available, although not for everyone, since they first want it to be profitable, to cover the maintenance costs of the platform. When this happens, it ensures that they will share the income with the channel administrators.

They are only available to public channels with over a thousand followers and bots, and members will never see more than one ad per channel – and only after they have read all the new messages. They also have an extension limited to 160 characters, not counting external links or multimedia files that it may contain (such as photos or videos).

Durov has ensured that conversations will remain ad-free, as sponsored messages cannot appear in user chat lists, private chats, or groups. And that they will not use user data to personalize the ads. Today in 24