Meta Rival Telegram Now Allowing Blockchain Numbers To Support No-SIM Accounts

Messaging program Telegram now lets users create accounts anonymously via the blockchain rather than cell phone numbers.

Private phone numbers are already hidden from non-added users of Telegram, which is touted as a rival to Meta Platforms META-owned WhatsApp.

Users will now have the option to make their phone numbers secret from everyone, gratifying those who appreciate privacy-focused features.

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The change is a part of an update 9.2, which went live on Dec. 6. It allows users to automatically eliminate timers on messages in brand-new chats.

Users must purchase "blockchain-powered anonymous numbers" from Fragment, the decentralized auction website that Pavel Durov, the creator of Telegram, launched, in order to make advantage of the functionality.

User identities and anonymous phone numbers that are exclusive to Telegram are sold by Fragment.

The Open Network, a cryptocurrency linked with Telegram, is used for purchases on the site (TON).

However, Fragment does not provide its services to residents of the U.S.

People can then use these private numbers after acquiring a number to join Telegram and receive SMS with verification codes.

On Fragment, users can buy a random number for 9 TON/USD, or $16, or they can buy and sell them in an auction.

The number "+888 8 888" currently has the highest bid of 33,075 TON, or $60,527, at the time of writing, demonstrating the high demand for some specific numbers.

In reaction to yet another instance of misbehavior by a centralized crypto organization, Durov disclosed via his Telegram channel on Nov. 30 that the business is developing a set of decentralized tools in the wake of the FTX fiasco last month.

Durov added to Fragment by saying that among other things, Telegram plans to release noncustodial wallets and decentralized exchanges.

"The answer is simple: blockchain-based projects need to return to their decentralized origins. Users of cryptocurrencies should move to self-hosted wallets and transactions that are not trusted by any single third party, he added.

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