I'm an admin of a group chat, a few months ago the public link stopped working. Now the link gives the message "username not found" but it shows up as taken if I try to use it.
The t.me link to the group showed up in an NFT marketplace as something telegram is going to sell in the future. Telegram took the t.me link without giving any notice, this is quite scummy behaviour and I think the link should be given back.
I've heard reports of the same thing happening to other groups as well.
Steps to reproduce
Create a group
Set it to public
Use it for years
Wait for telegram to steal your @
Device info
Telegram Desktop 4.3, PC-X006665, Linux KDE X11 glibc 2.35
This is the screenshot from the username marketplace btw
Saki -> SC26, CFz26
Already taken usernames should not be put up for 'auction' without notice or consent from the group creator/user themselves. This update is dumb & a kick in the face for users who have been on the platform for years.
đźš„ Latimer : Doggo Express!
Multiple groups are seeing this happen. The admin logs just say "Link revoked by Telegram". These groups have existed for many years, it is extremely disappointing that Telegram thinks this is okay to do.
𝙶𝚕𝚊𝚡 🇪🇺
Also, before any admin tries to give excuses: * The group was following telegram's TOS * The group was actively being used * There was absolutely no notice about this, we just noticed new people weren't joining as often and realized the link was no longer working
Ali
Does anyone have a solution to get the usernames back? without shopping
Catkin Fox 🔜 Your DMs
People who have dedicated time and effort to create groups worth joining Telegram for, growing it's user base are being slapped in the face with this NFT thing is appalling. Do better Telegram.
Ridiculous. Usernames/links of ACTIVE groups SHOULD NOT be included in this, period. I don't care if this is done with people's consent or for groups/users that haven't used telegram in a year or more. But when I've seen three groups used actively, communities that have been on here for years, having their usernames stolen to be auctioned off without their permission? This is disgusting, and utterly pointless.
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* The group was following telegram's TOS
* The group was actively being used
* There was absolutely no notice about this, we just noticed new people weren't joining as often and realized the link was no longer working