Experts say Telegram’s ’30 engineers’ team is a security red flag

TechCrunch reports on expert criticism of Telegram’s security after founder Pavel Durov said the company operates with about 30 engineers and does not enable end-to-end encryption by default; researchers warn that proprietary crypto, limited staffing, and the platform’s role as a social network holding vast user data make it an appealing target for criminals and governments. Telegram’s spokesperson acknowledges ~30 developers plus a 30-person core team and disputes claims about UAE data centers, but gives no clarity on security leadership, reinforcing guidance that users should not treat Telegram as a fully secure messaging app.