is telegram secure?
Assuming you are referring to the messaging app named Telegram, by default it is not secure. You must remember to manually create a secret chat any time you want your communications to be end-to-end encrypted, a feature that many other messaging platforms use by default. Because this must be done manually for each chat, it is easy to forget, which can result in some chats being left unprotected. For groups chats, Telegram does not support end-to-end encryption at all.

For secret chats using end-to-end encryption, Telegram uses its own propriety encryption protocol called MTProto. Though MTProto is open source, it is only used by Telegram, meaning it receives less testing than other widely-used encryption protocols. Some experts have criticized MTProto's design, suggesting it lacks important features provided by other common forms of encryption.

Overall, while Telegram is not secure by default, it may be secure enough for the average user when using secret chats. But it is probably less secure than some alternatives.
What are some more secure alternatives? Should I use signal, WhatsApp, Molly or something else in the event that the other use doesn't secure the chat on their end?