#privacysettings — Public Fediverse posts

🚀 Oh joy, another *riveting* interactive tour for Go 1.27, because reading endless lists of products and blocked widgets is exactly what developers crave for inspiration. 🙄 Instead of learning Go, let's embark on a magical journey through redundant menus and privacy settings. 🤡
https://victoriametrics.com/blog/go-1-27/index.html #Go127 #InteractiveTour #DeveloperExperience #RedundantMenus #PrivacySettings #TechHumor #HackerNews #ngated

🚀 Oh joy, another *riveting* interactive tour for Go 1.27, because reading endless lists of products and blocked widgets is exactly what developers crave for inspiration. 🙄 Instead of learning Go, let's embark on a magical journey through redundant menus and privacy settings. 🤡
https://victoriametrics.com/blog/go-1-27/index.html #Go127 #InteractiveTour #DeveloperExperience #RedundantMenus #PrivacySettings #TechHumor #HackerNews #ngated

Windows 11's Recall feature takes snapshots of your screen like a photographic memory. Want to control when it saves? Our latest guide shows you exactly how to pause or resume Recall snapshots. Take charge of your PC's history! #Windows #AI #PrivacySettings #TechTutorial #GeekRewind https://geekrewind.com/how-to-pause-or-resume-recall-snapshots-in-windows-11/

Windows 11's Recall feature takes snapshots of your screen like a photographic memory. Want to control when it saves? Our latest guide shows you exactly how to pause or resume Recall snapshots. Take charge of your PC's history! #Windows #AI #PrivacySettings #TechTutorial #GeekRewind https://geekrewind.com/how-to-pause-or-resume-recall-snapshots-in-windows-11/

Stop unwanted WhatsApp calls with Silence Unknown Callers. Learn how to enable the privacy feature on Android and iPhone. https://english.mathrubhumi.com/lifestyle/how-to/how-to-silence-unknown-calls-whatsapp-i2pw03mx?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=mastodon #WhatsApp #WhatsAppTips #PrivacySettings

FOOT ILLNESS OFTEN UNSEEN MAY LEAD TO SIGNIFICANT TROUBLE

Google Maps needs your permission to share your location data. Find out why this is needed to see yourself on the map and get directions.

#GoogleMaps, #LocationServices, #PrivacySettings, #DigitalMaps, #TechTips

https://newsletter.tf/google-maps-needs-location-access-to-show-map/

To see your exact location on Google Maps, you must allow your browser to share your location data. This is essential for the map to work correctly.

#GoogleMaps, #LocationServices, #PrivacySettings, #DigitalMaps, #TechTips
https://newsletter.tf/google-maps-needs-location-access-to-show-map/

Oh no, #GitHub has been "compromised" because someone forgot to turn on JavaScript! 😱🔍 Apparently, the real #hack is figuring out which #browser won't break x.com. But don’t worry, just turn off your privacy settings and try again... because what’s a little data breach among friends? 😂🔒
https://twitter.com/i/status/2056949168208552080 #Compromise #JavaScript #DataBreach #PrivacySettings #HackerNews #ngated

Oh no, #GitHub has been "compromised" because someone forgot to turn on JavaScript! 😱🔍 Apparently, the real #hack is figuring out which #browser won't break x.com. But don’t worry, just turn off your privacy settings and try again... because what’s a little data breach among friends? 😂🔒
https://twitter.com/i/status/2056949168208552080 #Compromise #JavaScript #DataBreach #PrivacySettings #HackerNews #ngated

This tells you how much info your browser reveals when you visit a site. It's a bit creepy.

#CyberSecurity #InternetOpenness #PrivacySettings

taken. — Since You Arrived Vol. IV
https://sinceyouarrived.world/taken

This tells you how much info your browser reveals when you visit a site. It's a bit creepy.

#CyberSecurity #InternetOpenness #PrivacySettings

taken. — Since You Arrived Vol. IV
https://sinceyouarrived.world/taken

Google Analytics Task Assistant guides property setup with step-by-step tasks: Google Analytics Task Assistant launched today, guiding property setup through six task categories for data, advertising, and privacy configuration settings. https://ppc.land/google-analytics-task-assistant-guides-property-setup-with-step-by-step-tasks/ #GoogleAnalytics #DataAnalysis #DigitalMarketing #PrivacySettings #Advertising

Google Analytics Task Assistant guides property setup with step-by-step tasks: Google Analytics Task Assistant launched today, guiding property setup through six task categories for data, advertising, and privacy configuration settings. https://ppc.land/google-analytics-task-assistant-guides-property-setup-with-step-by-step-tasks/ #GoogleAnalytics #DataAnalysis #DigitalMarketing #PrivacySettings #Advertising

#Windows11 #privacysettings #tech

Even better, avoid Windows 11

https://m.youtube.com/shorts/dopOM7D_W5U

#Windows11 #privacysettings #tech

Even better, avoid Windows 11

https://m.youtube.com/shorts/dopOM7D_W5U

Google is unveiling a revamped Tools menu for the Gemini app across Android, iOS, and the web.

This update features a more streamlined bottom sheet, a dedicated Labs section for trying out experimental tools, and a Personal Intelligence switch, allowing you to control when Gemini accesses your personal data during chats.

#TechNews #GeminiApp #PrivacySettings

Google is unveiling a revamped Tools menu for the Gemini app across Android, iOS, and the web.

This update features a more streamlined bottom sheet, a dedicated Labs section for trying out experimental tools, and a Personal Intelligence switch, allowing you to control when Gemini accesses your personal data during chats.

#TechNews #GeminiApp #PrivacySettings

#Meta
#FacebookPrivacy Checkup dey help millions of people every month to customize their #privacysettings.
#Bahdlexblog #bahdlex #Bahdlexempire #NDPC #facebook #meta

#Meta
#FacebookPrivacy Checkup dey help millions of people every month to customize their #privacysettings.
#Bahdlexblog #bahdlex #Bahdlexempire #NDPC #facebook #meta

Security Review for Microsoft Edge version 140 http://dlvr.it/TMzFj4 #MicrosoftEdge #SecurityReview #CyberSecurity #PrivacySettings

Security Review for Microsoft Edge version 140 http://dlvr.it/TMzFj4 #MicrosoftEdge #SecurityReview #CyberSecurity #PrivacySettings

Google Gemini now learns from your chats unless you turn it off: Google's AI assistant automatically uses your conversations to improve its responses, but you can disable this feature in settings. https://ppc.land/google-gemini-now-learns-from-your-chats-unless-you-turn-it-off/ #GoogleGemini #AIAssistant #ArtificialIntelligence #PrivacySettings #ChatBot

Security Review for Microsoft Edge version 137 http://dlvr.it/TLBWwS #MicrosoftEdge #SecurityReview #Cybersecurity #PrivacySettings

Security Review for Microsoft Edge version 137 http://dlvr.it/TLBWwS #MicrosoftEdge #SecurityReview #Cybersecurity #PrivacySettings

Ah! I am horrified by how much data Google collects! 😱🤮
Just checked it in my Google account and 𝗶𝘁 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄𝘀 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻 𝗜 𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁!
This is an amazing @Tutanota article about the hungry Google monster. Also, very good links inserted!
https://tuta.com/blog/what-does-google-know-about-me

#Google #techgiant #GoogleAI #privacy #privacyMatters #PrivacySettings #tuta #Tutanota

Ah! I am horrified by how much data Google collects! 😱🤮
Just checked it in my Google account and 𝗶𝘁 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄𝘀 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻 𝗜 𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁!
This is an amazing article about the hungry Google monster. Also, very good links inserted into the article!
https://tuta.com/blog/what-does-google-know-about-me

#Google #techgiant #GoogleAI #privacy #privacyMatters #PrivacySettings #tuta #Tutanota

»If you own #RayBan #Metaglasses, you should double-check your #privacysettings regarding what data it can store and use to #train its #AImodels.« https://techcrunch.com/2025/04/30/if-you-own-ray-ban-meta-glasses-you-should-double-check-your-privacy-settings/?eicker.news #tech #media #news

»If you own #RayBan #Metaglasses, you should double-check your #privacysettings regarding what data it can store and use to #train its #AImodels.« https://techcrunch.com/2025/04/30/if-you-own-ray-ban-meta-glasses-you-should-double-check-your-privacy-settings/?eicker.news #tech #media #news

The Android Phone: Three OPSEC Levels to Disappear Into the Shadows
#OPSEC #Android #Privacy #Cybersecurity #OperationalSecurity #DeadSwitch #PhoneSecurity #PrivacyTools #AndroidSecurity #Encryption #SecurePhone #PrivacySettings #GhostMode #MobileSecurity #DigitalAnonymity #StealthTech #TechPrivacy #PrivacyMatters #SecureYourTech

http://tomsitcafe.com/2025/04/15/the-android-phone-three-opsec-levels-to-disappear-into-the-shadows/

The Android Phone: Three OPSEC Levels to Disappear Into the Shadows
#OPSEC #Android #Privacy #Cybersecurity #OperationalSecurity #DeadSwitch #PhoneSecurity #PrivacyTools #AndroidSecurity #Encryption #SecurePhone #PrivacySettings #GhostMode #MobileSecurity #DigitalAnonymity #StealthTech #TechPrivacy #PrivacyMatters #SecureYourTech

http://tomsitcafe.com/2025/04/15/the-android-phone-three-opsec-levels-to-disappear-into-the-shadows/

#Bluesky proposes new #privacysettings for its users

https://mashable.com/article/bluesky-proposes-new-privacy-settings-for-users

#Bluesky proposes new #privacysettings for its users

https://mashable.com/article/bluesky-proposes-new-privacy-settings-for-users

#Google #PrivacySettings You Should Change Right Now

How to use @Google settings to take back some control over how the company collects and uses your #personaldata

https://www.consumerreports.org/electronics-computers/privacy/how-to-use-google-privacy-settings-a7718818150/

#Google #PrivacySettings You Should Change Right Now

How to use @Google settings to take back some control over how the company collects and uses your #personaldata

https://www.consumerreports.org/electronics-computers/privacy/how-to-use-google-privacy-settings-a7718818150/

🚫 Tired of Instagram suggesting unwanted accounts when you search? Learn how to stop those annoying recommendations with a few quick steps! 📱🔒 Take control of your feed today. #InstagramTips #PrivacySettings #SocialMedia #OnlineSafety #TechGuide

https://pupuweb.com/how-to-stop-instagram-from-suggesting-unwanted-accounts-when-search/

🚫 Tired of Instagram suggesting unwanted accounts when you search? Learn how to stop those annoying recommendations with a few quick steps! 📱🔒 Take control of your feed today. #InstagramTips #PrivacySettings #SocialMedia #OnlineSafety #TechGuide

https://pupuweb.com/how-to-stop-instagram-from-suggesting-unwanted-accounts-when-search/

New updates on our website! :android:

Helping people switch to floss on android
Setup, Settings, Apps,Tricks to smoothen the process of switching.

Have you done these?

☮️

https://tradelessearth.wordpress.com/screens/

#switchtofloss #switchtoopensourcesoftware #beginnersguide #floss #foss #androidprivacy #PrivacySettings #switchtoandroid

New updates on our website! :android:

Helping people switch to floss on android
Setup, Settings, Apps,Tricks to smoothen the process of switching.

Have you done these?

☮️

https://tradelessearth.wordpress.com/screens/

#switchtofloss #switchtoopensourcesoftware #beginnersguide #floss #foss #androidprivacy #PrivacySettings #switchtoandroid

Attention all teens! Instagram has rolled out new privacy settings. Keep your accounts secure and shield embarrassing posts from your parents. But remember, great privacy requires great responsibility. #Instagram #privacysettings

Google will not phase out tracking cookies in Chrome after all

https://stackdiary.com/google-will-not-phase-out-tracking-cookies-in-chrome-after-all/

#Privacy #AdTracking #GoogleChrome #ThirdPartyCookies #OnlinePrivacy #DataCollection #UserControl #PrivacySettings #AdTech #BrowserPrivacy #DigitalPrivacy #UserConsent #PrivacySandbox #TrackingCookies #AdTargeting #PrivacyTools #DataProtection #UserChoice #BrowserSettings #PrivacyExtensions #UserData #OnlineSecurity #AdTransparency #UserRights #PrivacyControls #DataPrivacy #BrowserTracking

Google will not phase out tracking cookies in Chrome after all

https://stackdiary.com/google-will-not-phase-out-tracking-cookies-in-chrome-after-all/

#Privacy #AdTracking #GoogleChrome #ThirdPartyCookies #OnlinePrivacy #DataCollection #UserControl #PrivacySettings #AdTech #BrowserPrivacy #DigitalPrivacy #UserConsent #PrivacySandbox #TrackingCookies #AdTargeting #PrivacyTools #DataProtection #UserChoice #BrowserSettings #PrivacyExtensions #UserData #OnlineSecurity #AdTransparency #UserRights #PrivacyControls #DataPrivacy #BrowserTracking

Mozilla: Arms race with advertisers may be unwinnable

https://stackdiary.com/mozilla-arms-race-with-advertisers-may-be-unwinnable/

#Mozilla #Firefox #Privacy #Advertising #Tracking #OnlinePrivacy #UserPrivacy #AdTracking #TechNews #DigitalAdvertising #WebBrowser #DataProtection #AdMeasurement #TechControversy #UserData #AdMetrics #BrowserPrivacy #PrivacyFeature #DigitalPrivacy #WebPrivacy #AdTech #TechDebate #PrivacySettings #UserConsent #OnlineTracking #TechUpdates #PrivacyFirst #AdAPI #PrivacyTools #InternetSafety

Mozilla: Arms race with advertisers may be unwinnable

https://stackdiary.com/mozilla-arms-race-with-advertisers-may-be-unwinnable/

#Mozilla #Firefox #Privacy #Advertising #Tracking #OnlinePrivacy #UserPrivacy #AdTracking #TechNews #DigitalAdvertising #WebBrowser #DataProtection #AdMeasurement #TechControversy #UserData #AdMetrics #BrowserPrivacy #PrivacyFeature #DigitalPrivacy #WebPrivacy #AdTech #TechDebate #PrivacySettings #UserConsent #OnlineTracking #TechUpdates #PrivacyFirst #AdAPI #PrivacyTools #InternetSafety

Oops! I missed one more platform/ key #privacy settings to change to protect your #data on #Google

Google: https://wapo.st/47ZbBpd 
Venmo: https://wapo.st/48Y1rqa
TikTok: https://wapo.st/483hDEZ
Facebook: https://wapo.st/48XdEeA

#ProtectYourself #socialmedia #cybersecurity #safety #technology #privacysettings #Venmo #TikTok #Facebook #datamining #identitytheft #news #newsyoucanuse

Oops! I missed one more platform/ key #privacy settings to change to protect your #data on #Google

Google: https://wapo.st/47ZbBpd 
Venmo: https://wapo.st/48Y1rqa
TikTok: https://wapo.st/483hDEZ
Facebook: https://wapo.st/48XdEeA

#ProtectYourself #socialmedia #cybersecurity #safety #technology #privacysettings #Venmo #TikTok #Facebook #datamining #identitytheft #news #newsyoucanuse

It’s the end of the month & I still have #WashingtonPost (aka #WaPo ) articles to #gift 🎁 so here are 3 for thee focused on your #safety & #technology #privacysettings you’ll want to change ASAP on major platforms #Venmo #TikTok & #Facebook.

#ProtectYourself #socialmedia #cybersecurity #data #privacy #datamining #identitytheft #news #newsyoucanuse

Venmo: https://wapo.st/48Y1rqa
TikTok: https://wapo.st/483hDEZ
Facebook: https://wapo.st/48XdEeA

It’s the end of the month & I still have #WashingtonPost (aka #WaPo ) articles to #gift 🎁 so here are 3 for thee focused on your #safety & #technology #privacysettings you’ll want to change ASAP on major platforms #Venmo #TikTok & #Facebook.

#ProtectYourself #socialmedia #cybersecurity #data #privacy #datamining #identitytheft #news #newsyoucanuse

Venmo: https://wapo.st/48Y1rqa
TikTok: https://wapo.st/483hDEZ
Facebook: https://wapo.st/48XdEeA

How to Set Mastodon Privacy Settings

@deco @thedarktangent
1) Mastodon Settings > Public Profile > Privacy and Reach
2) Mastodon Settings > Preferences > Other > Posting Defaults > Posting Privacy

Hope this helps! 🫶

#privacy #privacySettings #mastodonPrivacySettings #howTo

How to Set Mastodon Privacy Settings

@deco @thedarktangent
1) Mastodon Settings > Public Profile > Privacy and Reach
2) Mastodon Settings > Preferences > Other > Posting Defaults > Posting Privacy

Hope this helps! 🫶

#privacy #privacySettings #mastodonPrivacySettings #howTo

Most social media platforms feature Privacy Settings as seen below. I encourage everyone to use them.

Seriously, if you want to drink Redbull and call it dinner, fine. Go have yourself a heart attack, but don't show this to vulnerable and easily influenced people, especially young people.

Seek professional help instead. Thank you.

#SocialMedia #PrivacySettings #PrivacyMatters #SeekHelp #Friday #Megalodon #Tusky #Fediverse

Most social media platforms feature Privacy Settings as seen below. I encourage everyone to use them.

Seriously, if you want to drink Redbull and call it dinner, fine. Go have yourself a heart attack, but don't show this to vulnerable and easily influenced people, especially young people.

Seek professional help instead. Thank you.

#SocialMedia #PrivacySettings #PrivacyMatters #SeekHelp #Friday #Megalodon #Tusky #Fediverse

Update (2024-05-14): It’s time for furries to move away from Telegram.

A question I often get–especially from cryptography experts:

What is it with furries and Telegram?

furry group chat pamphlet pic.twitter.com/j5McTTzGuY

— Tay (@Monochromemutt) June 21, 2021

No, they’re almost certainly not talking about that.

Most furries use Telegram to keep in touch with other members of our community. This leads many to wonder, “Why Telegram of all platforms?”

The answer is simple: Stickers.

Telegram was the first major chat platform that allowed custom sticker packs to be uploaded and used by its users. This led to the creation of a fuckton of sticker packs for peoples’ fursonas.

How many furry sticker packs are there? Well, my friend Nican started a project to collect and categorize them all. You can find their project online at bunnypa.ws.

A friend and I are developing a ~Telegram Sticker Database~. https://t.co/Ma3prOEYlA

There are over 50,000 stickers already, but there is a lot of tagging still required. I would grateful if anyone wants to login, and add a few tags.

— @nican (@Nican) November 29, 2019

As of this writing, there are over 230,000 stickers across over 7,300 sticker packs (including mine). It also supports inline search!

New feature (with development help from @thefurryitwolf): Inline search!

Just type in "@bunnypawsbot <search>" in your Telegram client, and it will automatically give suggestions.

For example, this will greatly help @HansFaffing search for "no" stickers. pic.twitter.com/gyJrQztYtI

— bunnypa.ws – Sticker Database (@BunnyPawsBot) January 4, 2021

Additionally, there’s a very strong network effect at play: Furries are going to gravitate to platforms with a strong furry presence.

With that mystery out of the way, I’d like to share a few of my thoughts about Telegram as a platform and how to make it manageable.

Don’t Use Telegram As a Secure Messenger

Despite at least one practical attack against MTProto caused by its poor authentication, Telegram refuses to implement encryption that’s half as secure as the stuff I publish under my furry identity.

Instead, they ran a vapid “contest” and point to that as evidence of their protocol’s security.

If you’re a cryptography nerd, then you probably already understand that IND-CCA2 security is necessary for confidential messaging. You’re probably cautious enough to not depend on Telegram’s MTProto for privacy.

If you’re not a cryptography nerd, then you probably don’t care about any of this jargon or what it means.

It doesn’t help that they had another vulnerability that a renowned cryptography expert described as “the most backdoor-looking bug I’ve ever seen”.

So let’s be clear:

Telegram is best treated as a message board or a mailing list.

Use it for public communications, knowing full well that the world can read what you have to say. So long as that’s your threat model, you aren’t likely to ever get burned by the Durov family’s ego.

For anything that you’re not comfortable with being broadcast all over the Internet, you should use something more secure. Signal is the current recommended choice until something better comes along.

(Cwtch looks very good, but it’s not ready yet.)

Enable Folders to Make Notifications Reasonable

Last year, Telegram rolled out the ability to collect conversations, groups, and chats into folders. Most furries don’t know about this feature, because it doesn’t enable itself by default.

First, open the hamburger menu (on desktop) or click on your icon (on mobile), then click Settings.

Next, you’ll see an option for Folders.

You should see a button that says “Create New Folder”.

From here, you can include Chats or general types of Chats (All Groups, All Channels, All Personal Conversations) and then exclude specific entries.

Give it a name and press “Create”. After a bit of organizing, you might end up with a setup like this.

Now, here’s the cool thing (but sadly doesn’t exist on all clients–use Telegram Desktop on Windows and Linux if you want it).

Once you’re done setting up your folders, back out to the main interface on Desktop and right click one of the folders, then press “Mark As Read”.

Finally, an easy button to zero out your notifications. Serenity at last!

Note: Doing this to the special Unread folder is congruent to pressing Shift + ESC on Slack. You’re welcome, Internet!

Make Yourself Undiscoverable

In the default configuration, if anyone has your phone number in their address book (n.b. queerphobic relatives) and they install Telegram, you’ll get a notification about them joining.

As you can imagine, that’s a bit of a terrifying prospect for a lot of people. Fortunately, you can turn this off.

Under Settings > Privacy and Security > Phone Number, you can limit the discovery to your contacts (n.b. in your phone’s address book).

Turn Off Notifications for Pinned Messages

Under Settings > Notifications, you will find the appropriate checkbox under the Events heading.

A lot of furry Telegram groups like to notify all users whenever they pin a message. These notifications will even override your normal preferences if you disabled notifications for that group.

Also, you’re probably going to want to disable notifications for every channel / group / rando with very few exceptions, or else Telegram will quickly get super annoying.

Increase the Interface Scale

The default font size for Telegram is tiny. This is bad for accessibility.

Fortunately, you can make the font bigger. Open the Settings menu and scroll down past the first set of options.

Set the interface scale to at least 150%. It will require Telegram to re-launch itself to take effect.

Don’t Rely on Persistent Message History

This is just a cautionary footnote, especially if you’re dealing with someone with a reputation for gaslighting: The other participant in a conversation can, at any point in time, completely or selectively erase messages from your conversation history.

However, this doesn’t delete any messages you’ve already forwarded–be it to your Saved Messages or to a private Channel.

Aside: This is why, when someone gets outed for being a terrible human being, the evidence is usually preserved as forwarded messages to a channel.

Although Telegram isn’t in the same league as Signal and WhatsApp, its user experience is good–especially if you’re a furry.

I hope with the tips I shared above, as well as resources like bunnypa.ws, the Furry Telegram experience will be greatly improved for everyone that reads my blog.

Addendum: Beware the Furry Telegram Group List

A few people have asked me, “Why don’t you tell folks about furry-telegram-groups.net and/or @furlistbot?”

The main reason is that a lot of the most popular groups on that listing are either openly or secretly run by a toxic personality cult called Furry Valley that I implore everyone to avoid.

https://soatok.blog/2021/06/22/a-furrys-guide-to-telegram/

#chat #communication #furries #furry #FurryFandom #privacySettings #stickers #Technology

Update (2024-05-14): It’s time for furries to move away from Telegram.

A question I often get–especially from cryptography experts:

What is it with furries and Telegram?

furry group chat pamphlet pic.twitter.com/j5McTTzGuY

— Tay (@Monochromemutt) June 21, 2021

No, they’re almost certainly not talking about that.

Most furries use Telegram to keep in touch with other members of our community. This leads many to wonder, “Why Telegram of all platforms?”

The answer is simple: Stickers.

Telegram was the first major chat platform that allowed custom sticker packs to be uploaded and used by its users. This led to the creation of a fuckton of sticker packs for peoples’ fursonas.

How many furry sticker packs are there? Well, my friend Nican started a project to collect and categorize them all. You can find their project online at bunnypa.ws.

A friend and I are developing a ~Telegram Sticker Database~. https://t.co/Ma3prOEYlA

There are over 50,000 stickers already, but there is a lot of tagging still required. I would grateful if anyone wants to login, and add a few tags.

— @nican (@Nican) November 29, 2019

As of this writing, there are over 230,000 stickers across over 7,300 sticker packs (including mine). It also supports inline search!

New feature (with development help from @thefurryitwolf): Inline search!

Just type in "@bunnypawsbot <search>" in your Telegram client, and it will automatically give suggestions.

For example, this will greatly help @HansFaffing search for "no" stickers. pic.twitter.com/gyJrQztYtI

— bunnypa.ws – Sticker Database (@BunnyPawsBot) January 4, 2021

Additionally, there’s a very strong network effect at play: Furries are going to gravitate to platforms with a strong furry presence.

With that mystery out of the way, I’d like to share a few of my thoughts about Telegram as a platform and how to make it manageable.

Don’t Use Telegram As a Secure Messenger

Despite at least one practical attack against MTProto caused by its poor authentication, Telegram refuses to implement encryption that’s half as secure as the stuff I publish under my furry identity.

Instead, they ran a vapid “contest” and point to that as evidence of their protocol’s security.

If you’re a cryptography nerd, then you probably already understand that IND-CCA2 security is necessary for confidential messaging. You’re probably cautious enough to not depend on Telegram’s MTProto for privacy.

If you’re not a cryptography nerd, then you probably don’t care about any of this jargon or what it means.

It doesn’t help that they had another vulnerability that a renowned cryptography expert described as “the most backdoor-looking bug I’ve ever seen”.

So let’s be clear:

Telegram is best treated as a message board or a mailing list.

Use it for public communications, knowing full well that the world can read what you have to say. So long as that’s your threat model, you aren’t likely to ever get burned by the Durov family’s ego.

For anything that you’re not comfortable with being broadcast all over the Internet, you should use something more secure. Signal is the current recommended choice until something better comes along.

(Cwtch looks very good, but it’s not ready yet.)

Enable Folders to Make Notifications Reasonable

Last year, Telegram rolled out the ability to collect conversations, groups, and chats into folders. Most furries don’t know about this feature, because it doesn’t enable itself by default.

First, open the hamburger menu (on desktop) or click on your icon (on mobile), then click Settings.

Next, you’ll see an option for Folders.

You should see a button that says “Create New Folder”.

From here, you can include Chats or general types of Chats (All Groups, All Channels, All Personal Conversations) and then exclude specific entries.

Give it a name and press “Create”. After a bit of organizing, you might end up with a setup like this.

Now, here’s the cool thing (but sadly doesn’t exist on all clients–use Telegram Desktop on Windows and Linux if you want it).

Once you’re done setting up your folders, back out to the main interface on Desktop and right click one of the folders, then press “Mark As Read”.

Finally, an easy button to zero out your notifications. Serenity at last!

Note: Doing this to the special Unread folder is congruent to pressing Shift + ESC on Slack. You’re welcome, Internet!

Make Yourself Undiscoverable

In the default configuration, if anyone has your phone number in their address book (n.b. queerphobic relatives) and they install Telegram, you’ll get a notification about them joining.

As you can imagine, that’s a bit of a terrifying prospect for a lot of people. Fortunately, you can turn this off.

Under Settings > Privacy and Security > Phone Number, you can limit the discovery to your contacts (n.b. in your phone’s address book).

Turn Off Notifications for Pinned Messages

Under Settings > Notifications, you will find the appropriate checkbox under the Events heading.

A lot of furry Telegram groups like to notify all users whenever they pin a message. These notifications will even override your normal preferences if you disabled notifications for that group.

Also, you’re probably going to want to disable notifications for every channel / group / rando with very few exceptions, or else Telegram will quickly get super annoying.

Increase the Interface Scale

The default font size for Telegram is tiny. This is bad for accessibility.

Fortunately, you can make the font bigger. Open the Settings menu and scroll down past the first set of options.

Set the interface scale to at least 150%. It will require Telegram to re-launch itself to take effect.

Don’t Rely on Persistent Message History

This is just a cautionary footnote, especially if you’re dealing with someone with a reputation for gaslighting: The other participant in a conversation can, at any point in time, completely or selectively erase messages from your conversation history.

However, this doesn’t delete any messages you’ve already forwarded–be it to your Saved Messages or to a private Channel.

Aside: This is why, when someone gets outed for being a terrible human being, the evidence is usually preserved as forwarded messages to a channel.

Although Telegram isn’t in the same league as Signal and WhatsApp, its user experience is good–especially if you’re a furry.

I hope with the tips I shared above, as well as resources like bunnypa.ws, the Furry Telegram experience will be greatly improved for everyone that reads my blog.

Addendum: Beware the Furry Telegram Group List

A few people have asked me, “Why don’t you tell folks about furry-telegram-groups.net and/or @furlistbot?”

The main reason is that a lot of the most popular groups on that listing are either openly or secretly run by a toxic personality cult called Furry Valley that I implore everyone to avoid.

https://soatok.blog/2021/06/22/a-furrys-guide-to-telegram/

#chat #communication #furries #furry #FurryFandom #privacySettings #stickers #Technology