Terms of Service for Bots

Telegram Bots (“Bots”) are applications that run entirely within Telegram apps and integrate seamlessly with their interfaces. Unless otherwise specified, all bots are owned and operated by third-party Service Providers (“SP”), and users can engage with them to access services or purchase goods directly from such Service Providers using Telegram apps.

These Terms govern your usage of the Telegram Bot Feature (“TBF”) provided by Telegram Messenger Inc. (“Telegram”) and constitute a legally binding agreement between you and Telegram. For the purposes of these terms, ‘we’, ‘us’ and ‘our’ refers to Telegram, and ‘you’ refers to you, the user of the TBF. For clarity, these terms govern your usage of TBF as a user engaging with them through Telegram apps – if you are a SP looking to publish bots on Telegram, you are further subject to our Terms of Service for Bot Developers.

When you interact with a Telegram Bot (“Bot”), you may be further subject to its SP terms as agreed between you and the SP. Such terms are to be considered in addition to this document.

1. Acceptance of Bot Terms

By using the TBF, you agree that you have read in full, understood and accepted to be legally bound by the terms contained herein, in addition to Telegram’s Terms of Service, Telegram’s Privacy Policy and the respective Terms of Service of each Bot you access, if any. All of the aforementioned terms may be amended from time to time without notice. Should you decide to purchase goods through a Bot, you may further be subject to the Terms of Service of the provider that will process your payment, as agreed between you and the payment provider. Lastly, should you decide to access a Mini App on Telegram, you will be further subject to our Terms of Service for Mini Apps.

For clarity, your continued access to and use of TBF shall constitute your acceptance of these Terms and all other terms that are incorporated herein, including any updates or modifications to them from time to time.

2. Bots

All products and services offered via TBF are offered and managed by third-party SP. These SP are also responsible for any continued operation and maintenance for their bots on the Telegram platform. We are not affiliated with any of these SP, and they operate independently of Telegram. By using TBF on the Telegram platform, you acknowledge and agree that:

  • You are accessing a third-party service directly from its SP;
  • Telegram only provides SP with access to third-party payment providers via its Payment Platform, and does not itself process payments or hold funds;
  • SP may have additional terms as a part of their products or services with which you must comply;
  • You fully acknowledge and explicitly assume any and all risks related to transactions with SP, and agree that we shall not be liable for any risks or adverse consequences arising from such transactions.

The individual SP that operate Bots are solely responsible for the content, products, goods, or services made available to you directly via their respective Bot – including but not limited to quality, performance and availability. You should contact the respective SP directly with any queries, and any disputes shall be resolved directly with the respective SP.

Cancellations or refunds for purchases from SP via TBF are subject to the applicable terms of the specific SP from which the purchase was made. Telegram has no role in processing payments and governing refund or cancellation charges. Any disputes must be resolved by contacting the SP directly, who is responsible for resolving the dispute.

2.1. Availability

The SP may, at their discretion, cease all operations on Telegram and discontinue their Bot at any time. In the event that you can no longer access a Bot or some of their features for any reason, Telegram will not be liable for any expenses, losses or damages you may incur. Plausible reasons include but are not limited to:

  • (i) A technical error;
  • (ii) The SP no longer maintaining their bot;
  • (iii) TBF no longer supporting some or all features integrated by the bot;
  • (iv) A restriction imposed by Telegram on your account or on certain regions, Bots or SP;
  • (v) The bot being intentionally or inadvertently deleted by the SP;
  • (vi) External factors outside our control;

For clarity, regardless of circumstances, should you lose access to accumulated tokens, funds, prizes, progression, media, files, valuable data, code, chats, management tools or any other service, asset or utility provided by SP through a Bot or Mini App for your benefit, Telegram will not be liable and will not compensate you for this loss.

3. Payments

Telegram does not process payments. Instead, payments are processed by third-party payment providers, which are chosen by the SP for their Bot, at the SP’s sole discretion, from the list of available payment providers.

3.1. Payment Information

Telegram does not store your credit card details for purchases made via TBF. Such data is handled solely by third-party payment providers. See our Privacy Policy for more details.

3.2. Payment-Related Disputes

Payments conducted or initiated through a Bot are processed by a third-party payment provider, as agreed between you, the SP and the payment provider, which at times may coincide.

Telegram does not handle, manage, oversee, verify or provide any sort of warranty over such transactions. Consequently, any disputes, claims, losses, misunderstandings, technical errors, or issues of any kind (both accidental and allegedly intentional) related to payments or transactions must be directed towards the respective payment provider or SP. Telegram bears no responsibility whatsoever and will not be a party to any payment-related disputes or discussions, nor is it liable for any losses or damages the parties involved may incur.

4. Privacy

4.1. Data We Share

The data Bots can access when you interact with them is listed in detail in the Telegram Privacy Policy, see 6.3. What Data Bots Receive.

By utilizing the TBF, you expressly agree that you have read and understood our Privacy Policy. Further, you agree not to hold us liable for any mismanagement, misuse, or mishandling of the data SP receive in connection with your use of their Bots, under any circumstances.

4.2. Data You Share

You may also choose to provide certain data to a Bot, including but not limited to your phone number, text, media or locations in order to facilitate the service offered by its SP, or for any other reason as determined solely by you. By providing this data to the Bot, you are in turn providing it to the SP, which is responsible for handling and storing any data provided to it.

Any processing or collection of data by the SP via TBF is subject to any applicable terms between you and the SP. Any data that is shared with Telegram itself is governed by the Telegram Privacy Policy. Accordingly, you agree not to hold Telegram liable should the SP mismanage, misuse, or mishandle the data you provide to it, under any circumstances.

4.3. Telegram Business

Telegram Business subscribers can connect Bots to their Telegram account, to help them automatically process and respond to messages from users. Section 6.5. Telegram Business Chatbots of the Telegram Privacy Policy details how these bots operate and what data they can access, should you choose to connect one to your account.

Bots that support integration with your account via Telegram Business are not different from other Bots made available to you via TBF – they are owned, operated and maintained by independent third-parties. Telegram takes every precaution to protect your private data, including mandating that developers follow strict Terms of Service which help regulate how they represent their services to you and handle your data. However, some SP may be negligent or malicious, and Telegram cannot guarantee that they will always operate in good faith, or exactly as you would expect, including but not limited to their Telegram Business offerings, if applicable.

By connecting a Bot to your account through Telegram Business, you agree to indemnify us and hold us harmless from any claims, fees, and damages that may arise from or in connection with unexpected, harmful, or otherwise undesirable actions taken by the Bot you chose or the SP operating it.

4.4. Developer Guidelines

Certain limits and guidelines are imposed on Bot developers (SP) to help ensure best practices regarding privacy, security, and the safekeeping of your private data. However, Telegram cannot guarantee that all SP will comply with these guidelines at all times. In the event that a Bot is found to be in violation of our Terms of Service for Bot Developers, Telegram retains the right to terminate the Bot from the Telegram platform.

5. Disclaimers

To the maximum extent permitted under applicable law, TBF is offered to you on an “as is” and “as available” basis, and you agree to waive, and we categorically disclaim, any and all other warranties of any kind, whether express or implied, regardless of nature, including, without limitation, warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, title or non-infringement warranties that arise from course of performance, course of dealing or usage in trade.

Without limiting the foregoing, we do not represent or warrant: (a) that TBF, its contents and all goods or services provided therein are reliable, accurate, up to date, truthful, complete, functional, error-free, free of malware and any other harmful or otherwise unwanted elements; or (b) that the goods and services you have purchased and will receive directly from the SP will remain available, functional, performant, relevant or maintain any value or quality.

You further acknowledge and agree that matters, issues, complaints and disputes pertaining to warranty, guarantee, quality and service shall be resolved in accordance with the terms set forth by the SP, and you consent to manage such concerns and disputes directly with the SP, without involving Telegram in any capacity.

Since goods and services are provided by the respective SP, you recognize and agree that we shall have no obligation, liability or responsibility to you concerning the goods and services, their quality, functionality, performance, value or general availability.

You further understand and agree that we will not be liable for any damages or losses due to or relating to:

  • Any inaccuracy, defect, error or omission of price data, including but not limited to cryptocurrency price data;
  • Any error or delay in the transmission of price data, including but not limited to the transmission of your orders to both SP and payment providers;
  • Interruption in any such data;
  • Any routine, unannounced or unscheduled maintenance as we see fit, either carried out by us directly, by our partners or by SP. This includes but is not limited to temporary or permanent interruptions in the provision of TBF or goods and services deriving from or sustained as a result of such maintenance;
  • Any harm or damage incurred as a result of illegal actions by third parties that were not sanctioned by us;
  • Any harm or damage resulting either directly or indirectly from user actions, negligence, omissions or violations of any applicable laws and governing terms;
  • Any other exceptions as described herein or in any other terms that govern your use of TBF.

You acknowledge and agree that these Terms govern the relationship between you and us. Any and all agreements, dealings, transactions, or any other form of engagement you may have with Service Providers are solely between you and the respective SP; this includes SP found through, accessed through, or promoted through the TBF. We have no liability, obligation, or responsibility to you in relation to any SP, including but not limited to their respective content, goods, services, terms either express or implied, or any other deliverables you obtained or intended to obtain from such SP, regardless of your optional engagement with the SP through their Bot using Telegram’s TBF.

By accepting these terms, you acknowledge and fully understand that Bots are operated by third parties. In light of this understanding, you agree that any and all legal actions, claims, or disputes arising out of or in relation to your usage of Bots shall be exclusively directed towards the SP that operated the relevant Bots. Further, to the maximum extent permitted under applicable law, no such legal recourse shall be initiated against Telegram.

5.1. Indemnity

You accept and agree to grant Telegram and its subsidiaries, affiliates, officers, agents, contractors and employees absolute indemnity and to hold them harmless from and against any and all claims, actions, proceedings, obligations, investigations, demands, suits, expenses, costs and damages (including but not limited to legal fees, fines or penalties imposed by any authorities or regulatory institutions) arising from, related to, or in any way incurred as a result of your use of, conduct in connection with, your purchase, receipt of and access to services and goods from the SP via the TBF. For clarity, this indemnity clause complements the rights, privileges and protections already provided to us under any other terms (if applicable).

5.2. Conflicts of Rules

Should any controversy arise between these terms, the SP terms and any other provisions governing your use of TBF, it shall be resolved in the manner that is most favorable to Telegram, to the full extent permitted under applicable law.

6. Modification of TBF

We may, at our sole and absolute discretion and without liability, at any time and without notice, modify TBF in any way we deem necessary. We hold no liability for how these changes may affect access to and services provided by Bots. SP are solely responsible for ensuring that their services are available to their users and compatible with TBF. These changes include but are not limited to:

  • Altering, suspending, or fully discontinuing features within TBF, including but not limited to the TBF itself;
  • Imposing limits on or restricting access to certain SP;
  • Restricting certain users from accessing TBF or the Telegram platform;
  • Adjusting, modifying or radically reshaping the way in which users find, access, interact with or otherwise make use of TBF, to meet evolving technological, economical or regulatory standards.

7. Changes to Bot Terms

We will review and may update these Terms from time to time. Any changes to these Terms will become effective when we post the revised TBF Terms of Service on this page https://tg.k8s.li/static/tos/bots. Please check our website frequently to see any updates or changes to our Terms, an optional summary of which we may set out below.