The Critical Security Problem:
Currently, a Telegram User_ID is immutable and permanent. Even if a user changes their phone number and username inside the app, their User_ID remains the same.
This creates a massive privacy vulnerability: OSINT bots and leakage databases track users by User_ID. They can link a user's new phone number to their old exposed number, real name, and address.
Victims of doxxing, stalking, or database leaks have no way to "clean" their digital footprint without deleting their account and losing gigabytes of data.
The User Pain Point:
Users with "heavy" accounts (500+ chats, channels, years of work history) cannot simply "start over" on a new account. Manual forwarding is impossible for such volumes. They are trapped between losing their digital life or remaining vulnerable to stalkers via their compromised User_ID.
Proposed Solution:
Introduce a "Full Account Migration" tool.
This feature would transfer all chats, folders, and channel subscriptions from Account A (Compromised ID) to Account B (Fresh ID).
Technical Implementation (Why it's feasible):
Telegram already possesses the technology to bulk-import message history with original timestamps — this is currently used in the "Import from WhatsApp" feature.
I suggest reusing this existing mechanism to allow internal migration. The server would treat the old Telegram account as the source (instead of a backup file) and populate the new account with the history.
Use Cases:
Anti-Doxxing: Breaking the link between a user and leaked databases by generating a fresh User_ID.
Regional Safety: Moving data from an account registered in a hostile region to a safe jurisdiction.
I want to add an important point that wasn’t mentioned here: even if a full account migration to a new User_ID is implemented, the internal profile synchronization for people who have your number in their contacts remains a serious issue.
Telegram positions itself as a messenger that values user privacy. But currently, this is grossly violated: a new account on the same number automatically links to the old number and can be discovered by bots or contacts, even if the username is changed and the account is empty.
This means that no account migration truly protects the user if Telegram doesn’t allow users to prevent their account from being shown to people who have their number in contacts.
‼️ Telegram must protect people’s privacy and give them real control over their digital footprint so that even after changing their number or account, no one can link them to old data.
🔸️ I suggest adding an option to any account migration tool: “Do not sync my profile with contacts who have my number”. This is a real step toward protecting user privacy.
This is a useful addition, but I didn't write about it because I had already seen a request to add a feature that would disable automatic contact synchronization and display of phone numbers in profiles during the registration process. But these requests have been pending for several years, and Pavel Durov and his team have not responded to them. Apparently, they benefit from the existence of such bots and the fact that old accounts are easy to doxx/track.
Log in here to report bugs or suggest features. Please enter your phone number in the international format and we will send a confirmation message to your account via Telegram.
Telegram positions itself as a messenger that values user privacy. But currently, this is grossly violated: a new account on the same number automatically links to the old number and can be discovered by bots or contacts, even if the username is changed and the account is empty.
This means that no account migration truly protects the user if Telegram doesn’t allow users to prevent their account from being shown to people who have their number in contacts.
‼️ Telegram must protect people’s privacy and give them real control over their digital footprint so that even after changing their number or account, no one can link them to old data.
🔸️ I suggest adding an option to any account migration tool: “Do not sync my profile with contacts who have my number”. This is a real step toward protecting user privacy.