Tapping the OSINT Potential of Telegram - Recon Village @DEF CON 32

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Published on Jan 8, 2026
Recon Village
https://www.youtube.com/@ReconVillage

Talk Title: Tapping the OSINT Potential of Telegram

? Speaker: Megan Squire (@MeganSquire0)
? Event: Recon Village @ DEFCON 32, Las Vegas Convention Center
? Date & Time: August 9, 2024 | 1:25 PM - 2:00 PM

? Talk Summary:
Telegram is a widely-used messaging app with labyrinthine security settings that often result in unintended data leaks. This talk explores how OSINT practitioners can tap into Telegram’s hidden intelligence potential, with a special focus on its new “similar channels” feature introduced in November 2023.

? Key Takeaways:
✅ How Telegram’s “similar channels” feature reveals hidden connections
✅ Building an OSINT tool to collect and analyze Telegram’s network data
✅ Applying social network analysis to uncover previously-hidden channel relationships
✅ Identifying and exposing inauthentic networks used for political influence

? Tool Release: A new OSINT tool built for Telegram analysis will be released at DEFCON!

Whether you're an investigator, journalist, or security researcher, this talk will provide practical techniques to extract intelligence from one of the world's most influential messaging platforms.

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