Telegram + HelpYouFind.Me

We integrate with the free and secure Telegram service to give you access to the HYFM platform directly through your smart phone.

What is Telegram?

Telegram is a free and not-for-profit service that provides secure communications via your smart phone or computers. Think of it as like texting or chatting. You can chat with all your contacts but also Telegram is an excellent Bot (aka, robot) interface so that software developers can integrate their programs with the service. That's what we've done with HYFM.

How do I use Telegram to talk to HYFM?

Telegram also has an amazing software integration platform via "bots". Think of a bot as a robot you can chat with to integrate into HYFM. When using the HYFM Bot you can click a button to send your location, photo, or a general update and the bot will automatically post your data to HYFM for you.

It knows who you are because you will use a special and unique link to sync your Telegram account to your HYFM account.

This allows us to build first class smart phone integration without an application of our own, on your phone, to support.

Why Telegram?

We firmly believe in Telegram and their mission to provide private communication channels for all the world. They're also extremely open with their protocols and software source code. It's no wonder that huge companies like Facebook (and it's service WhatsApp) are scrambling to copy them at every turn.

Is Telegram secure?

We believe so. But don't just take our word for it. The security community has spoken and many audits have proven that Telegram is a trusted method of communication. We won't go to deep into the weeds here because it's very technical but if you're interested, here are some links where you can read more about it.

  • Telegram FAQ - (Security Section) See more details about Telegram security in their FAQ.
  • Telegram Advanced FAQ - If you're technical enough you can read the advanced FAQ where there is a lot of specific detail on how their encryption works.
  • Security Audit from Department of Mathematics, Computer Science and Physics, University of Udine, Italy
  • Encryption Bounty - $300,000.00 - Telegram has a still unclaimed bounty to anyone who can break their encryption. This contest has gone on for years and still no one has been able to claim it.
  • Verifiable builds - Telegram is one of the only (maybe the only?) messaging app that allows you to verify that the application running on your phone is the same as if you were build the application from source code.

What about Whatsapp?

Meta, formerly known as Facebook, may have changed it's name to try and erase it's shady past but the internet never forgets. Meta (Facebook) has a very long history of abusing user privacy. And if you didn't know, Meta (Facebook) owns Whatsapp. Since Meta (FB) purchased Whatsapp they have had several incidents of security breaches and privacy violations.

What about Signal?

Signal is definitely a favorite among the tech community. If choosing between Whatsapp or Signal, PLEASE choose Signal! However, there are a few reasons we choose not to use Signal for our integration.

  • Signal does not support Bot integrations (see below.)
  • Reflections: The ecosystem is moving - Signal's justification for why, as an open source protocol, it doesn't allow third party clients to use it (this includes custom Bot software like our Telegram bot). We don't buy this justification.
  • Spy-funded privacy tools (like Signal and Tor) are not going to protect us from President Trump - Yasha Lavine, author of Surveillance Valley, writes about the origins of Signal funding, which includes the US Government, stating: "The money primarily comes through the federal government's premier Internet Freedom venture capital outfit: Open Technology Fund, which works closely with the State Department's regime change arm and is funded through several layers of Cold War CIA cutouts — including Radio Free Asia and the Broadcasting Board of Governors."