I read the FAQ and even skimmed the MTProto 2.0 docs but from where I stand this Server-Client encryption sounds like encryption in transit but the server still has the ability to decrypt.
This, from a privacy against law enforcement perspective (which is what the article and comments are about), is more or less the same as no encryption.
Edit: s/transport/transit/, add "perspective" to the last paragraph.
It’s true that Telegram only uses encryption for data in transit for normal person-to-person chats and group chats. Data at rest is stored in a way the server can read. That’s one of the things that makes Telegram search so fast.
The encryption part [1] is covered in the FAQ, along with more details.
Also see the question and answer on “Fo you process data requests?” [2]
Telegram has a feature called secret chats, which are only person-to-person. That uses end-to-end encryption.
I'm aware of Secret Chats, but there's extra friction to enable it and I suspect most Telegram users are not aware of them at all - or are unwilling to use them for almost everything.
Also they should now update that FAQ answer where they say:
> To this day, we have disclosed 0 bytes of user data to third parties, including governments.
In fact, if the OP is indeed true, they should probably update the entire answer since it's misguiding at best, and an outright lie at worst.
I read the FAQ and even skimmed the MTProto 2.0 docs but from where I stand this Server-Client encryption sounds like encryption in transit but the server still has the ability to decrypt.
This, from a privacy against law enforcement perspective (which is what the article and comments are about), is more or less the same as no encryption.
Edit: s/transport/transit/, add "perspective" to the last paragraph.