This year, I wish you less —

less information 📣
less food 🍆
less entertainment 📺
less communication 💬
less stimulation ⚡️

You already have too much of all that, and it stands in the way of your serenity 🧊, health 💪, sleep 💤 and creativity 🖼.

Merry Christmas! 🎄

🇪🇸 My message to Telegram users in Spain ❗️

Pedro Sánchez’s government is pushing dangerous new regulations that threaten your internet freedoms. Announced just yesterday, these measures could turn Spain into a surveillance state under the guise of “protection.” Here’s why they’re a red flag for free speech and privacy:

1. Ban on social media for under-16s with mandatory age verification: This isn’t just about kids—it requires platforms to use strict checks, like needing IDs or biometrics.

⚠️ Danger: It sets a precedent for tracking EVERY user’s identity, eroding anonymity and opening doors to mass data collection. What starts with minors could expand to all, stifling open discourse.

2. Personal and criminal liability for platform executives: If “illegal, hateful, or harmful” content isn’t removed fast enough, bosses face jail.

⚠️ Danger: This will force over-censorship—platforms will delete anything remotely controversial to avoid risks, silencing political dissent, journalism, and everyday opinions. Your voice could be next if it challenges the status quo.

3. Criminalizing algorithm amplification: Amplifying “harmful” content via algorithms becomes a crime.

⚠️ Danger: Governments will dictate what you see, burying opposing views and creating echo chambers controlled by the state. Free exploration of ideas? Gone—replaced by curated propaganda.

4. “Hate and polarization footprint” tracking: Platforms must monitor and report how they “fuel division.”

⚠️ Danger: Vague definitions of “hate” could label criticism of the government as divisive, leading to shutdowns or fines. This can be a tool for suppressing opposition.

These aren’t safeguards; they’re steps toward total control. We’ve seen this playbook before—governments weaponizing “safety” to censor critics. On Telegram, we prioritize your privacy and freedom: strong encryption, no backdoors, and resistance to overreach.

✊ Stay vigilant, Spain. Demand transparency and fight for your rights. Share this widely—before it’s too late.

🔥Telegram for Android got its biggest redesign in 10 years. A few details to iron out, but it’s mostly complete — and already available to everyone.

😎 Telegram built the most powerful API for chatbot and mini app developers — and made it free.

😙 We keep expanding it with features like these colored buttons and custom emoji.

😏 Track what’s new here: https://core.telegram.org/bots/api

💣 Russia has opened a criminal case against me for “aiding terrorism.” Each day, the authorities fabricate new pretexts to restrict Russians’ access to Telegram as they seek to suppress the right to privacy and free speech. A sad spectacle of a state afraid of its own people. 🤦‍♂️

🎆 Unfortunately, I had to leave Dubai for Europe a week ago — so I’m not only missing the free fireworks from Iran, but also exposing myself to greater risk. Given Europe’s crime rates, Dubai is statistically safer even with missiles flying. Can’t wait to be back.

➕ In addition to a new war, there’s also a new Telegram update. New features > new war 😏

What’s 📢📢: Member Tags, Login with Telegram, Disable Sharing, GIF Editing, Date Formatting, Voting Timestamps, Streaming Responses for Bots. Check it out: https://telegram.org/blog/member-tags-disable-sharing-and-more

📝 All Telegram chatbots can now stream responses to users in real time — great for AI assistants.

💸 Telegram has fully repaid the bonds we issued 5 years ago. 🎆

💰 Since 2021, we’ve built an innovative monetization strategy and reached profitability in 2024. As a result, our new bond issuance last year was oversubscribed. 💪

🙏 Thank you for your support!

😎 Telegram was banned in Russia — yet 65M Russians still use it daily via VPNs, with 50M+ sending messages every day. The government has spent years trying to ban VPNs too. Their blocking attempts just triggered a massive banking failure — cash briefly became the only payment method nationwide yesterday. 😂

🧊 Iran banned Telegram years ago, with a result similar to Russia. The government hoped for mass adoption of its surveillance messaging apps, but got mass adoption of VPNs instead. Now 50M members of the Digital Resistance in Iran are joined by 50M+ more in Russia. 😙

🤝 Welcome back to the Digital Resistance, my Russian brothers and sisters. The entire nation is now mobilized to bypass these absurd restrictions. Thousands are building VPNs and proxies. On our end, we’ll keep adapting — making Telegram’s traffic harder to detect and block. ✊

🔄 Your massive monthly Telegram update is out.

🧠 100% private AI Editor for your outgoing messages.
🗳 The most powerful polls in any messenger (+12 new features).
🖼 Support for Live Photos & Motion Photos.
🤖 Ability for [AI] Bots to create [AI] Bots for users — in one tap.

📹 Demos: https://telegram.org/blog/ai-editor-mighty-polls-and-more