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While I would be happy to pay for it in principle, the value of Telegram to me is that is has provided a platform for many political dissidents - individuals an

While I would be happy to pay for it in principle, the value of Telegram to me is that is has provided a platform for many political dissidents - individuals and groups - who might otherwise be persecuted for their beliefs and activism, and denied a platform for learning and discussion. I could be wrong but I believe this is a popular reason for Telegram's appeal. How many of those would be comfortable trusting Telegram with payment details, rather than just a pseudonym?

tw04 6y ago
I'm not sure why that would be a problem. Telegram could easily make bitcoin and/or cash a payment option like countless VPN providers have. No "real info" necessary.
- postmodernbrute 6y ago
  Bitcoin and other crypto coins are very inaccessible. Even disregarding transaction fees, you can't really get bitcoin without giving your payment details to someone. Yes, countless VPN providers do need your payment details. And that is a risk. The comfort in that risk however is that anyone with knowledge of your VPN payment still doesn't know what you did with that VPN. With a messaging app however, you are risking your entire online identity.