Being owned by Facebook would seems to be like a bad start for any app with a focus on security and privacy, and it's likely to be enough to put many people off using WhatsApp. You may have made a point of avoiding Facebook, and the company promises that any personal data collected through the messaging tool will not be shared with the social network. Whether you trust that promise is entirely up to you. You may simply be swung round to the idea of WhatsApp by the fact that so many of the people you know use it and you want an easy way to keep in touch with them.
However, it does offer end-to-end encryption – you just need to check that it is enabled both at your end and people you chat with – and it is based on the Signal Protocol (yes, the one used by Signal!). WhatsApp says that it does not store any messages on its servers after they have been delivered, but they be retained for up to 30 days until they are retrieved by the recipient.
One of WhatsApp's big advantages is that it is available for a range of platforms – Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, even Windows Phone. There's also a web-based version, but this needs to be used in conjunction with your phone; it just makes typing longer messages a little easier when you're at your computer. Linux users are not officially supported, but there are unofficial desktop clients available for various distros. As well as text-based messaging, voice and video calls are also an option, and you can sent photos and files to the people you are chatting with.
While most WhatsApp users are interested in personal communication with friends and family on a relatively small scale, there is scope for large group chats. In fact, up to 256 people can take part in a single chat, making it ideal for small to medium-sized businesses, particularly if security is a concern – as well as the fact that the app is free. Unlike Facebook, WhatsApp is free from ads... for now at least. It has been rumoured for some time that ads are on their way, and it has recently been confirmed that ads will indeed start to appear in WhatsApp statuses in 2020.
Signal
Signal is an open-source messaging app that is privacy focused and is widely used by journalists, security experts, and academics across the globe. It instantly shot to fame after Tesla CEO Elon Musk urged his followers on Twitter to use the app in the wake of the notorious privacy policy changes made by Whatsapp.
The laconic endorsement made by the world’s richest man was enough to spur a large number of users to download and sign-up for Signal, forcing its servers to crash temporarily. The messaging app took to Twitter to acknowledge that it was getting many new requests for new join-ins and this unexpected surge has led to delays in verification codes from network providers. The glitch was soon fixed, and the users were able to register without any hiccups thereafter.
On January 9, the official Twitter account of Signal tweeted that it is listed as the top free app on Apple’s App Store charts in India, Austria, France, Finland, Germany, Hong Kong, and Switzerland.
Signal places a high premium on the user’s privacy. It uses the open-source Signal Protocol to implement end-to-end encryption which covers all forms of communication on Signal. The Signal Protocol also underpins Whatsapp’s end-to-end encryption.
Though Whatsapp encrypts calls and messages, Signal goes a step further and encrypts metadata too. In addition to this, Signal uses Sealed Sender to communicate between the sender and the recipient. Sealed Sender is a protocol developed by Signal, through which no one will be able to determine, not even Signal, who is messaging to whom.
There is an array of other privacy features on Signal too such as locking the app with passcode or biometrics. Then there is a two-factor authentication option to block screenshots within the app and the recent screen. Similarly, Signal recently also added a new feature of blurring faces automatically before sending images to make the messaging experience even more private and secure.
Signal also allows users to hide their IP address. One can even enable incognito keyboard while typing on Signal, delete old messages, apply dark mode and blur faces and private information from its in-app photo editor.
In terms of features, Signal provides secure messaging, voice, and video calls. Users can also have a group chat and Signal had recently added group calling feature as well, something which was missing for a long time. Furthermore, the app also packs features such as disappearing messages which was recently added in Whatsapp. However, unlike Whatsapp, Signal does not offer broadcast messaging services.
Although Signal might fall short on the features, it more than makes up with an impressive set of privacy features. The app has not only been endorsed by Tesla CEO Elon Musk but also recommended by whistleblower Edward Snowden. When asked by a Twitter user why should one trust Signal, Snowden responded: “Here’s a reason: I use it every day and I’m not dead yet.”
Signal app is administered by Signal Foundation, a non-profit organisation. The Foundation was set up by Moxie Marlinspike, creator of the Signal app, and Brian Acton, co-founder of WhatsApp. Acton had left WhatsApp over dispute with Facebook over monetization of WhatsApp, and had alleged that Facebook executives had forced him to mislead European Union authorities regarding Facebook’s intention to merge Facebook and WhatsApp user data.
Telegram
As with WhatsApp and Signal, Telegram is a cross-platform messaging tool. There are clients available for iOS, Android, Windows Phone, Windows, macOS and Linux (32- and 64-bit variants). The service uses the MTProto encryption protocol, but not everything is encrypted in the same way. The bulk of messages are stored in Telegram's cloud servers and are encrypted on the server. Only Secrets Chats – of which more in a moment – are securely encrypted on sender and recipients' devices to ensure complete privacy. If you are particularly concerned about privacy, it's worth noting that Telegram is not completely open source, and the service has access to the encryption keys you use.
An extra feature offered by Telegram is secret chats. These are – obviously – encrypted, but they have an extra security measure built in. Secret chats can only be read on the device from which the message was sent, and the device that received it. Even using the same accounts, it is not possible to read the messages on any other devices. Additional security features include notification if a screenshot is taken of a secret message you have sent, and a block on the forwarding of such messages. Secret chats can only take place between two people, not a group. You can also send self-destructing messages that automatically disappear after a predefined time.
When it comes to group messaging, Telegram supports groups of up to 200,000 – and it's hard to imagine a scenario in which this would not be enough. There is also the option of using 'channels' which can be either public or private. Public channels make it possible to send messages to very large numbers of people at once, and they can have an unlimited number of subscribers. Whether in a group chat, or a one-to-one, Telegram allows you to share files of up to 1.5GB in size, as well as the usual photo sharing option.
WhatsApp vs Signal vs Telegram Security Conclusion
Every business has different needs, wants, and requirements. The choice of an encrypted messaging app depends on what your business does, who you are, what your job is, and who you talk to.
Here’s my overall thoughts on the three encrypted messaging apps – WhatsApp vs Signal vs Telegram security:
WhatsApp is easy to use and popular, but their security is not really trustworthy, especially given their history. Still, it’s better to send messages using WhatsApp than no encryption at all. Most WhatsApp users use it for personal communication with family and friends. However, I would not recommend using it for conversations your company would consider as secret or confidential.
Telegram is capable of some genuinely cool stuff. It is flexible and arguably easy to use. The highest level of security is not available by default (unlike Signal) and it takes a little extra work to maximize security, which might not be everyone’s cup of tea. It definitely is secure enough — after all, it’s the messenger of choice for ISIS militants and Hong Kong protestors.
Signal might be the favorite app for people who mean business. It is a little harder to use than WhatsApp, but if it’s harder to use then not everyone will use it. If you see security as a trade-off against usability, Signal sure throws the dial all the way to the security side which makes it ideal for high-risk, secret communications.
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