Chat apps have become an integral part of our daily lives, but at the same time you (presumably) want your conversations to remain private. But with the data-hungry companies behind many an app, the question is whether anonymous chat is still possible. We take a closer look at WhatsApp, Telegram and Signal. Which chat app is the safest?
WhatsApp, Telegram and Signal are currently three major players that consider privacy (at least to the outside world) of paramount importance. The apps differ from each other, but also have similarities. They can all be downloaded from Google Play and the App Store.
The apps also have group chat functions, options regarding two-step verification and you can share photos and videos. In addition, all three apps have some form of encryption. This ensures that only the sender and receiver can read the message.
Let’s start with Signal.
Signal – the safest option
This open source application is maintained by the Signal Foundation. With Signal you send and receive messages completely encrypted. It doesn’t matter if this happens in a one-on-one or a group conversation. The app verifies your phone number and that of the other person, so you can be sure you’re talking to the right person.
The app does not store data on a server, but it does allow you to create local backups. The service does not collect any user data at all. The only thing you ‘hand in’ is your phone number. Tellingly, whistleblower Edward Snowden relied on Signal for the security of his conversations for years.
In addition to being safe, Signal is also useful. For example, you can lock the application, you can set notifications to remain empty, messages can delete themselves and there is an option that automatically blurs faces in photos. For the ordinary consumer that might be an overkill, but if you need something like this: Signal offers it.
You will also find in the app under Settings, Privacy all important features related to your privacy. Also think of turning off the read receipt, so that contacts don’t see when you’ve read messages, and setting a PIN code, two-step verification and typing indicators.
Telegram – Question it
Telegram is a striking messaging service, because it also takes elements from a social network. In some areas, the service is more secure than WhatsApp, but in other areas it is not at all. For example, the app does not have encrypted group conversations, WhatsApp does.
Compared to Signal, Telegram is not very transparent about the makers and there are also questions about privacy. For example, the service collects quite a bit of information. Information you share with Telegram includes your name, phone number, contact list and your user identity. Your IP address is also collected, something Signal does not do. In addition, Telegram’s one-to-one conversations are not automatically encrypted. That is the case with WhatsApp and Signal.
The messages that you send within groups are therefore not encrypted. That means anyone can actually read them. Another downside is Telegram’s encryption system. This self-developed MTProto system is largely open source, but to a small extent it is not. As a result, it is not entirely certain what will happen to your data when it ends up on the Telegram servers.
Telegram has suffered from hacks several times in recent years. In March 2020, for example, the data of 42 million users became public. The Iranian government would have had something to do with this. Another example is the hack in 2019, when Chinese hackers probably broke in during the Hong Kong protests.
Due to an update at the beginning of this year, you can now set all messages to be automatically deleted after a certain time. The functionality is not completely new to the app, because this could already be done within the component Secret Chat. After activating the option, you can set messages to delete themselves after 24 hours or a week. Messages sent before the feature was active will remain in the conversation. FYI: Signal offers a similar option since 2016.
The way some groups work has also changed. For example, there are now broadcast groups. Users cannot place text messages in it. However, they can participate in live audio conversations. It’s Telegram’s answer to the popularity of the Clubhouse audio chat application, where you can listen to other people’s conversations.
The safe aspect of the new groups is that only the administrator determines who is and is not welcome. The link you create that provides access to such a group will no longer work over time. Has the set time expired and someone clicks the link? No problem, then that person will not enter the group.
In addition, as an administrator you can set that the link in question can be used a certain number of times. This is all done in the context of online safety.
WhatsApp – Empty promises?
WhatsApp’s encryption is the same as Signal’s. And in other respects WhatsApp also looks reasonably safe. For example, you can hide your online status and also indicate whether you want read receipts to be sent. Those are those blue check marks that you encounter in messages you sent yourself. In addition, you can lock WhatsApp via your fingerprint scanner.
But what about the protection of your data? Look, it’s not like Facebook or WhatsApp can read what you send to friends and family. Your messages are encrypted and can only be read by both the sender and receiver. You can also prevent people from accessing your messages when they have your phone in their hands and the device is unlocked.
However, a lot of data is collected behind the scenes that can be linked to you as a person. Think of your phone’s unique ID number, usage and advertising data, purchase history and financial information, your physical location and your phone number.
Your contact details and those of your contacts, which products you come into contact with, how often you use the app and to what extent the application functions when you start using it, are also known.
There is only one important caveat for that long list of data collection. Some things do not happen in the Netherlands or Europe, because the service offers specific functions in other countries that are not (yet) available here. In Brazil, for example, you can buy products within the app, so that more data can be collected there. Furthermore, the app does not share your contacts with Facebook and your shared location cannot be viewed.
It can therefore differ per country which data WhatsApp collects exactly. But the fact is that, like Telegram, the service stores a lot of data about its users, no matter how innocent some things seem. When someone points out the privacy dangers and objections, the answer is often, “I have nothing to hide.” But that, of course, is not the point of this discussion. The thing is, WhatsApp isn’t supposed to do this at all.
Not to mention the problems that malicious parties can cause. For example, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos was hacked in January 2020 via a video shared via WhatsApp. Also, a spyware vendor exploited a vulnerability in the system, which allowed 1400 devices to be compromised. In addition, the unsecured backup function in the cloud is a vulnerable point and malware is regularly distributed via WhatsApp.
Conclusion
You can choose the best option for a chat app yourself, of course, but it is important that you know exactly what you are opting for. You decide whether you want to trade privacy for convenience. And it’s understandable that you stick to a specific app if most of your friends and family are active on it.
But at the very least, make sure you’re using the app securely and using things like two-step verification or unlocking via a fingerprint scanner. At the bottom, Signal is the best option if you think privacy is more than a little important.
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