I'm very privacy forward with respect to my home networks. I run a home zigbee network which does everything I want it to in the home. Yes I can't turn the lights on and off from the other side of the world, but neither can anyone else.
Maybe less secure than a VPN connection (e.g. if somebody gets control over the channel or bots instead of you/other trusted members) and of course more finicky until the bot works as desired, but always a nice party trick.
Or a combination of VPN for home-critical automations and telegram bots for the simple/shared ones.
(not to say you're doing it wrong btw, just to let others know that zigbee can still be linked onwards to the internet from the gateway)