That was a rhetorical qustion. It’s their servers which generates the key. So Telegram has both the lock and the key and claim they are “heavily encrypted”.

Signal or SimpleX.

All data sent to Telegram’s servers will be encrypted once they reach the servers.

and who generated the key?

Every text you send through Telegram is stored in plaintext. Telegram and authorities can access that without your knowledge. Also it will get leaked in a breach someday.

Now you decide for yourself if it’s private.

Since when did it become unethical to express an individual’s opinion? Andy (Proton CEO) is just like any other human. He has his own flaws and opinions. What you need to look into is whether Proton products are secure and private as they claim.

Unlike Sam Altman, who made OpenAI a for‑profit company from a non‑profit, Andy turned Proton into a non‑profit from a for‑profit. I don’t see many people appreciating that. But when someone expresses a political opinion, they’re canceled for life. I wish cancel culture would die away.

Proton is targetting enterprise who would love a secure alternative to Google Workspace. A normal consuner don’t need to put all eggs in one basket. I don’t think Proton is forcing you either. I just use their paid email service.