API Usage: Telegram encourages API usage but strictly within its defined limits and purposes. The Bot API documentation outlines rate limits and acceptable behavior.
Consequences of Violation: Violation of Telegram's ToS can lead to:
Immediate and permanent termination of your Telegram account(s) and any associated bots.
IP address bans.
Potential legal action from Telegram (e.g., breach of contract, or if deemed to violate specific anti-hacking laws).
Privacy Policy: Telegram's Privacy Policy emphasizes that it only stores data necessary for its function and does not use user data for ad targeting. It outlines how public chats are handled (encrypted, but accessible to everyone) versus secret chats (end-to-end encrypted, not stored on servers).
Data Protection Regulations (e.g., GDPR, Bangladesh's PDPO):
GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation - EU): Applies to the denmark telegram mobile phone number list processing of personal data of individuals in the EU, regardless of where the processing takes place.
Personal Data: Even publicly available information can be "personal data" if it identifies an individual (e.g., username + chat history).
Lawful Basis: Scraping personal data requires a lawful basis (e.g., consent, legitimate interest). It is highly unlikely that "web scraping for business intelligence" would be considered a legitimate interest that overrides individual rights, especially if consent is not obtained.
Data Subject Rights: Individuals have rights (access, rectification, erasure, objection) that are impossible to fulfill if data is indiscriminately scraped.
Consequences: Severe fines (up to 4% of global annual turnover or €20 million, whichever is higher).
Personal Data Protection Ordinance (PDPO), Bangladesh (Draft): Bangladesh is in the process of enacting comprehensive data protection legislation. The draft PDPO (e.g., Draft 2025 version) aims to align with global standards like GDPR.
Key Provisions (Anticipated): Will define "personal data," establish principles for data processing (purpose limitation, data minimization, consent), and grant data subject rights.
Relevance to Scraping: Any automated collection of data that falls under the definition of "personal data" (even if publicly available) will likely require a lawful basis and consent, making indiscriminate scraping highly risky. The proposed ordinance includes provisions related to unauthorized access to data and systems, which could be interpreted to apply to aggressive scraping.