3 ms·
Private chats are a hassle to initiate and not multi-device. Most use normal chats. With anonymous accounts, using anonymous +888 numbers, whose price has inc
by vizzah 2y ago
Private chats are a hassle to initiate and not multi-device.
Most use normal chats.
With anonymous accounts, using anonymous +888 numbers, whose price has increased from $16 to $1000+ in a matter of a year, it is indeed a very convenient playground for all sorts of activities.
- walterbell 2y agoIn which countries are the vendors of anonymous numbers located?
- vizzah 2y agoThere are no vendors, Telegram issues those numbers. So it's basically a pass to create account w/o mobile number requirement, if you're ready to pay for it.
- walterbell 2y agoInteresting, https://www.theverge.com/2022/12/7/23498236/telegram-fragment-phone-number-crypto-verification-monetization https://www.theverge.com/2022/12/7/23498236/telegram-fragmen... > To get an anonymous number, you need to go purchase one through the Fragment blockchain... Durov calls Fragment “an amazing success” that already generated over $50 million in sales in less than a month.
- codedokode 2y agoAren't open source apps like Jabber or Element which do not require a phone number and allow to host your own server, a much better playground?
- zaik 2y agoYes, and XMPP over Tor already seems to be popular on the dark web.
- bydlocoder 2y agoIt was the default method of contacting the dealers on Russian darknet when everything was a just a message board (hell, it was available without TOR) and not a proper marketplace
- popcalc 2y agoSecurity theater. SimpleX is the real deal.
- which 2y agoWhy would a criminal mastermind pay $1000 for an anonymous Telegram account when they could buy a burner phone with a prepaid SIM included for like $20 to register and throw it out? In my experience the people who buy those are more Durov superfan than Keyser Söze. And evidence of criminality on Telegram predates the Fragment numbers by a while - for instance in like 2014-2015 pretty much the only time Telegram was in the news was in connection to ISIS. They could also just use Signal which is provably private.
- ImJamal 2y agoSome countries require you to provide a government id, which is logged, to get a new sim.
- rchaud 2y ago"Burner phones" are a TV trope of the 90s and 00s. In most countries you cannot get a phone number without registering your ID with the telecom provider.
- which 2y agoI’m referring to tracfones or similar prepaid devices which you can buy in the US for very cheap. In other countries if you apply yourself just a little bit you can get the same result. Greece has SIM card registration yet you can buy pre registered ones off the street in Athens. Latvia, Lithuania, Netherlands, Estonia, UK, and other countries have no SIM card registration at all and roaming works good across the EU. And you only need the number once to sign up.