> It's amazing to me that people still consider Telegram a legitimate contender in choosing a messenger.
It's still likely better than WeChat FB Messenger in terms of privacy. You just get to choose the devil, and some consider Russia no worse than Facebook (and all that it represents) or China.
Considering the founder of Telegram more or less had his previous startup VK (Russian competitor to Facebook) stolen by Putin after his refusal to hand over info about Ukrainian protestors [1], and has left the country with no interest in returning, I'd be inclined to trust that Telegram is not a front for the Russian state, quite the contrary in fact.
It's still likely better than WeChat FB Messenger in terms of privacy. You just get to choose the devil, and some consider Russia no worse than Facebook (and all that it represents) or China.