Privacy on Telegram & the Search for Alternatives | TechEnclave

Just came across a report of Telegram and noticed that their updated privacy policy now allows for more data-sharing with legal authorities across multiple jurisdictions. In some countries, even IP addresses might be handed over now—where previously, only metadata was retained.

This got me thinking: when “compliance” becomes an excuse for data leakage, what are the tools that can really offer meaningful protection?

I’ve been testing a few decentralized, privacy-first messaging platforms lately (SimpleX, WireMin, Keet), but I ran into a paradox:
More secure on a technical level (end-to-end encryption, no phone number required)
Fragmented user base makes finding communities pretty hard—even basic group discovery relies on third-party directories in some cases

Has anyone successfully built or found a stable community on decentralized platforms?
Where do you draw the line between privacy and usability—do you lean towards extreme security or some level of compromise?