Privacy Policy: Join Guard (Telegram bot)
Who we are
The bot is operated by FOP Ihor Aleksandrin, 70 Ispanska St., Kharkiv, 61205, Ukraine ("we"). Contact: [email protected] or the support contact shown in the bot's /paysupport message.
Two groups of people
- Chat administrators who add the bot and configure it.
- Applicants, people who ask to join a group or channel that uses the bot.
The administrator decides to use the bot to screen applicants. We process applicant data on the administrator's behalf, only to make and record the screening decision.
What we store
| Data | Whose | Why | How long |
|---|---|---|---|
| Telegram user ID, username, first name | applicant | identify the request, show it to the administrator | up to 90 days after the decision |
| Bio text and Premium flag as sent by Telegram with the join request | applicant | apply the bio and Premium rules, show it in the manual review message | the bio is deleted as soon as the request is decided; the Premium flag stays with the request record |
| Quiz answers (chosen option numbers), score, reasons, decision, time stamps | applicant | explain the decision, statistics, CSV export for the administrator | up to 90 days after the decision |
| Telegram user ID of the administrator, chat ID, chat title, chat type | administrator | link settings and notifications to the chat | while the chat uses the bot; removed on request |
| Rules, quiz questions, rules text, stop-words, log destination | administrator | the bot's configuration | while the chat uses the bot |
| Payment records: charge ID, amount in Stars, payer ID, chat ID, date | administrator | provide Pro, handle refunds and support, keep accounting records | 3 years after the payment, as Ukrainian accounting rules require |
| Counter of screened requests per chat and month | chat | enforce the Free plan limit | up to 90 days |
We do not read messages in your groups or channels. We do not collect phone numbers, e-mail addresses, location, or contacts. We do not use analytics, advertising or profiling, and we do not sell data.
Decided requests are deleted automatically by a scheduled job once they are older than 90 days.
Where data is processed
- The bot runs on Cloudflare Workers and stores data in Cloudflare D1 (Cloudflare, Inc.).
- Messages travel through Telegram (Telegram Messenger Inc. and affiliates). Telegram has its own privacy policy.
- Payments in Telegram Stars are processed by Telegram. We never see card numbers or other payment instruments.
Who sees applicant data
- The administrators of the chat the applicant asked to join (in manual review messages, the decision log of Pro chats and CSV exports).
- Nobody else, except where the law requires disclosure.
Legal basis (GDPR)
For applicants: legitimate interest of the group administrator and of the operator in keeping communities free of spam and abuse (Art. 6(1)(f)). For administrators: performance of the contract (Art. 6(1)(b)) and legal obligations for payment records (Art. 6(1)(c)).
Your rights
You may ask for access, correction or deletion of your data, or object to processing, by writing to [email protected] and stating your Telegram user ID. Applicants can also ask the administrator of the chat. Administrators can remove a chat's data by removing the bot from the chat and asking us to delete the record. You may complain to the data-protection authority of the country where you live.
Automated decisions
The bot may decline a join request automatically based on the rules the administrator chose (for example a required username). The applicant can send a new request, or contact the chat administrator, who can approve manually. A human administrator reviews borderline cases when the rules say so.
Children
The bot is not directed at children. Telegram's own age rules apply.
Security
Access to the database is limited to the operator. The webhook accepts only requests carrying a secret token. Exports are sent only to administrators of the chat.
Changes
We will update this page and the date above when practice changes.