Many people were listed with this, but what does it actually tell us? He may have been a target, we are not even sure if his phone was actually penetrated, and whether they found Telegram's secret description key? It seems really all conjecture at this point until we know anything definate?

Telegram is supposedly not in the business of selling user data or metadata (no hint of evidence to that effect yet) and does at least allow you to hide your phone number from all contacts. Problem is mainstream users only otherwise use WhatsApp (knowingly leaks metadata inc location to Facebook whom we all know about with their dropped balls on user privacy and advertising), and Signal which requires a phone number to register, it can't be hidden, and is hosted in the USA.

Again we sit with the problem, which is the lesser of all evils that mainstream users actually 'can' use?