Telegram: with the blockchain, you no longer need a SIM card to connect

In the great messaging war, Telegram was able to hold its own by offering an interface that protects personal data as much as possible. With Signal, it is therefore an alternative to advise all those who will flee WhatsApp and other Messenger like the plague. Today, the application goes further since you will not have you don’t even need a SIM card to register.

Telegram: no card, but a hell of a number

In his latest blog postTelegram indeed announced that it was now no longer mandatory to have a SIM card to register for the messaging service. However, this does not mean that there is no need for a telephone number. This is where the particularity of the developers is hidden. The app now offers through its Fragment platform acquire an anonymous number on the blockchain. You will have to pay it in Toncoin and, for a random number, it will cost you 9 tokens (about 18 € at the time of this writing). It is possible to win a number at auction. If you want to play it original with “+888 8 888”, then it will be a little more expensive: 31,500 TON, or 63,000 euros. But when you don’t love, you don’t count! More seriously, this number is absolutely useless except to connect to a Telegram account. The company highlights the “anonymous” side of the operation, but the Fragment blockchain works like any other: it is traceable. The only advantage is that you don’t need to provide your real phone number.

Other novelties have been announced for this month of December. Among the most interesting, it is now possible to configure the automatic deletion of all messages from a specific conversation. Every day, week, month or whatever… The choice is yours. You can also create topics in conversations with more than 100 people. This should make them a little less cluttered.