Zorge → Posts → Can a bot owner see messages
Can a Telegram bot owner see your messages?
Yes — everything you send to the bot. A bot is a program run by its owner on their own server, and every message you write to it goes there. Chats with bots are not end-to-end encrypted, so the owner can read and store them.
What a bot can't see is just as important: your other chats, your contacts, your phone number (unless you share it), and anything in groups beyond what Telegram passes to it. The exception is a bot you connect to your own account through Telegram Business — it sees the private chats you choose.
What a bot owner can see, by situation
| Situation | What reaches the bot (and its owner) |
|---|---|
| Your chat with the bot | Every message, file and button press you send it, plus your public profile: name, username, language. |
| A group with the bot, privacy mode on (default) | Only commands addressed to bots, replies to the bot's own messages, and mentions of it. |
| A group where privacy mode is off or the bot is an admin | All messages in the group from the moment it was added — not the earlier history. |
| A channel where the bot is an admin | Posts in the channel. |
| A Business bot connected to your account | Messages in the private chats you selected, as they arrive. |
| Your other chats, secret chats, contacts | Nothing. |
What a bot never sees
- Your other conversations. A bot only knows about chats it is part of — or, for a Business bot, the chats you ticked.
- Secret chats. They are end-to-end encrypted between devices; no bot has access.
- Your phone number — unless you press a “share contact” button and confirm it.
- Your password or login code. Telegram never gives these to bots. A bot asking you to type your login code is a scam.
- Group history before it joined. A bot added to a group doesn't receive old messages.
Business bots: the one that sees your private chats
Telegram lets you connect a bot to your own account (in your profile: “Edit” → “Chatbots”), originally for auto-replies and customer service. Such a bot receives the messages in the private chats you choose — that is what lets it answer for you or keep a copy of what was deleted. You decide which chats, can change the list at any time, and disconnecting takes one tap; from that moment nothing more reaches it. All 14 permissions of a Business bot, explained.
How to judge a bot you're about to connect. Look for a clear privacy policy that says what is stored, for how long and where; a way to delete your data from inside the bot; and the narrowest permissions it needs. A bot that wants access to “all chats” for a feature that only needs one is a warning sign.
How Zorge handles it
Zorge is a Business bot: it receives messages only in the private chats you select, so it can show you what the other person deleted or edited. It doesn't see groups, channels, secret chats or Saved Messages. Copies are stored encrypted with a separate key per account and deleted automatically after the period stated in the privacy policy; you can delete everything from inside the bot at any time.
Common questions
Can a Telegram bot owner read my messages?
Yes, every message you send to the bot reaches its owner's server. Chats with bots are not end-to-end encrypted.
Can a bot see messages in a Telegram group?
By default (privacy mode) only commands, replies to the bot and mentions. If privacy mode is off or the bot is an admin, it receives all new messages, but not the history before it joined.
Can a Telegram bot see my phone number?
No, unless you tap a button to share your contact and confirm it.
Can a bot read my other Telegram chats?
No. A regular bot only sees chats it is part of. A Business bot connected to your account sees only the private chats you selected.
Can a bot access secret chats?
No. Secret chats are end-to-end encrypted between devices and no bot can read them.
Next
What a Telegram Business bot can see — all 14 permissions and how to revoke them.
How to connect a bot to Telegram Business — step by step.
A bot that saves deleted messages — how it works and what it costs.