Mapping the hierarchy within a Telegram group can be important when trying to identify which users are key figures. A considerable amount of information about that hierarchy can be gathered by looking at the roles assigned within a group.
Users with an administrative role in a group have a tag displayed next to their name. Examples include labels such as “admin” or “owner,” as shown below.
Tags like these are provided by Telegram by default, but group administrators can also create custom tags themselves, as shown in the example below.
We can retrieve more information about administrators. In the example below, viewed through the Telegram desktop app, we examine the group’s owner. No additional information is shown about how this administrator was appointed. This likely means the user is the original founder and owner of the group.
If an administrator was appointed by another user, this can also be seen. In the example below, we see the (redacted) screen name of the user who appointed another group member, along with the moment this occurred. Bots can also be assigned administrative roles, as shown in this example.
It is also possible that an administrator was appointed by a user who is no longer an administrator themselves, or who is no longer even a member of the group. This can provide interesting information for reconstructing part of the background and history of a Telegram group.
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