Yes. Tap "View Channel" to read posts before joining — the channel admin sees only the total subscriber count, never individual visitors. Your identity is not exposed until you tap the Join button inside Telegram. Your phone number is never visible to the channel unless you've made it public in your Telegram privacy settings.

No. Telegram never notifies your contacts when you join or leave a channel. Channels only show a total subscriber count — no names, no usernames, no profile information is visible to anyone.

re: why is a Telegram channel in the Helsinki Telegram Channels category.

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