Provision record
Telegram · Telegram Terms of Service · View original document ↗

Prohibition on illegal activities majority countries

High severity High confidence Explicit document language Common · 281 of 352 platforms

Key Facts

What activities does Telegram prohibit users from engaging in?
Telegram prohibits users from engaging in activities that are recognised as illegal in the majority of countries, including child abuse, selling or offering illegal goods and services such as drugs, firearms, and forged documents.
What illegal goods and services does Telegram prohibit users from selling or offering?
Telegram prohibits users from engaging in activities that are recognised as illegal in the majority of countries, including child abuse, selling or offering illegal goods and services such as drugs, firearms, and forged documents.
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This analysis describes what Telegram's agreement states, permits, or reserves. It does not constitute a legal determination about enforceability. Regulatory applicability and practical outcomes may vary by jurisdiction, enforcement context, and individual circumstances. Read our methodology

ConductAtlas Analysis

Why it matters (compliance & governance perspective)

The prohibition is defined by cross-jurisdictional illegality rather than the law of any single country, and the listed examples are illustrative, not exhaustive.

Clause Stability Stable

0
Changes
4
Months Monitored
Jul 10, 2026
First Seen
Jul 10, 2026
Last Seen
This clause type exists across 4244 other provisions on other platforms.

Consumer impact (what this means for users)

If the reader engages in activities recognised as illegal in the majority of countries — including those listed — they are in breach of Telegram's Terms of Service.

How other platforms handle this

Glassdoor Medium

Use the services for commercial activities and/or promotions such as contests, sweepstakes, barter, pyramid schemes, advertising, affiliate links, and other forms of solicitation.

Tinder Medium

You may not display any personal contact, banking, or peer-to-peer payment information, whether in relation to you or any other person (for example, names, home addresses or postcodes, telephone numbers, email addresses, URLs, credit/debit card...)

ActiveCampaign Medium

Bypass or ignore instructions contained in our robots.txt file that controls automated access to portions of our Services;

See all platforms with this clause type →
▸ View Original Clause Language DOCUMENT RECORD
"
Engage in activities that are recognized as illegal in the majority of countries. This includes child abuse, selling or offering illegal goods and services (drugs, firearms, forged documents), etc.

Excerpt from Telegram's Terms of Service

Applicable regulations

CFAA
United States Federal

Provision details

Document information
Document
Telegram Terms of Service
Entity
Telegram
Document last updated
May 5, 2026
Tracking information
First tracked
May 20, 2026
Last verified
May 20, 2026
Record ID
CA-P-029110
Document ID
CA-D-00173
Evidence Provenance
Source URL
Wayback Machine
Content hash (SHA-256)
11f3bcf122b7e7a8134fd5d6716ca43be91542264a2aeeff2f7b23f130156f42
Analysis generated
May 20, 2026 23:19 UTC
Methodology
Evidence
✓ Snapshot stored   ✓ Hash verified
Citation Record
Entity: Telegram
Document: Telegram Terms of Service
Record ID: CA-P-029110
Captured: 2026-05-20 23:19:10 UTC
SHA-256: 11f3bcf122b7e7a8…
URL: https://conductatlas.com/platform/telegram/telegram-terms-of-service/provision/CA-P-029110/prohibition-on-illegal-activities-majority-countries/
Accessed: Aug. 18, 2026
Permanent archival reference. Stable identifier suitable for legal filings, compliance documentation, and research citation.
Classification
Severity
High
Categories

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Frequently Asked Questions

What does Telegram's Prohibition on illegal activities majority countries clause do?

The prohibition is defined by cross-jurisdictional illegality rather than the law of any single country, and the listed examples are illustrative, not exhaustive.

How does this clause affect you?

If the reader engages in activities recognised as illegal in the majority of countries — including those listed — they are in breach of Telegram's Terms of Service.

How many platforms have this type of clause?

ConductAtlas has identified this type of provision across 281 platforms. See the full comparison.

Is ConductAtlas affiliated with Telegram?

No. ConductAtlas is an independent monitoring service. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Telegram.