Telegram: Still the Privacy King, or an OPSEC Nightmare?

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Is telegram still the best privacy messaging client?
 I’ve been weighing my options and wanted to get the community’s take on my thoughts:

• Telegram offers convenience and features, but its encryption model (MTProto, non-E2EE by default) raises questions and the current state of affairs with bans happening left and right, and other political issues makes me cautious to use it.
  
• Signal is the gold standard for security, but I find its UI clunky and its feature set limited, maybe this is something I'll just have to compromise on and settle in. BUT:
  
• Matrix (paired with Element) seems like a promising middle ground—self-hostable, decentralized, and Discord-like in flexibility.
  

Would love to hear your experiences or recommendations.

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interesting