TELEGRAM BOTS
CONTEXT:
- Recently reports came out which alleged that a Telegram bot had access to and was presenting the identification numbers of the documents submitted for vaccination purposes which includes Aadhaar, PAN card, and even passport numbers of individuals.
ABOUT TELEGRAM
- Telegram is an opensource API messaging platform service launched in 2013.
- The platform allows developers to create their own apps and use the free to use API to develop specialised tools, like bots, to integrate services.
- The platform currently has over 700 million monthly active users and is one of the 10 most downloaded apps in the world.
- It is known for supporting file shares of up to 2GB, stored on the cloud that can be accessed from different devices.
WHAT ARE TELEGRAM BOTS ?
- Bots are computer programs that act as agents of a user or another computer program.
- Bots on Telegram are small applications that run entirely within the platform and can be designed to support any kind of task or service.
- Bots on Telegram can host full Web Apps and can be designed to support everything from online stores to arcade games.
- Additionally, they can also be designed to make it easier for users to access information held within large databases they are connected to.
- Users can enter commands, or simply enter the name or description of files they are looking for and the bot can search the connected database to present the information.
- Bots are listed on the platform as special accounts that do not require a phone number to set up and are connected to the owner’s server which processes input and requests from users.
- They can be found using the search feature on the Telegram app.
USE OF BOTS IN TELEGRAM :
- Bots are usually used in professional areas for smart communication and pulling information from defined databases.
- Users can send commands to bots that they respond to with relevant information or perform tasks they are designed to do.
SYLLABUS: PRELIMS, SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
