
But if you're looking for options, there are plenty of alternatives to Facebook-owned messaging services. Signal does not have as many fancy customization features as WhatsApp, like backgrounds, and when it comes to true privacy, there is no comparison. However, Facebook collects lots of other information in the form of usage statistics, metadata, and more. That means the content of the messages you send and calls you have are both private. WhatsApp (and other messaging apps).īoth Signal and WhatsApp are end-to-end encrypted using the same technology.

Acton got on board with the mission to make a truly private messaging service after Facebook acquired WhatsApp and Acton reportedly left the company amid clashes with Facebook over how it was eroding WhatsApp’s privacy. In 2018, WhatsApp founder Brian Acton donated $50 million to create the Signal Foundation, which now runs Signal. Though a small group of privacy activists created Signal in 2013, it has grown in recent years. Instead, it’s funded by grants and private investors - one of whom had a huge personal interest in making a privacy-oriented platform. It has no advertising and, therefore, no incentive to track users. Part of the reason it doesn't collect any data is because Signal is a non-profit organization, not a for-profit company. If the police come knocking to Signal for data on its users, it says, truthfully, that it has no data to hand over. The only information you give the app is your phone number. Plus, Signal collects virtually no data on its users. You can set messages to disappear after certain customizable time frames. Yes - and that privacy goes beyond the fact that the content of your messages is encrypted. Plainly put, it is the gold standard of privacy. Signal created the encryption protocol (basically, the technical way you implement this) that other companies including WhatsApp and Skype use.

Even sticker packs get their own special encryption. Is the Signal app secure?Ĭommunications on Signal are end-to-end encrypted, which means only the people in messages can see the content of those messages - not even the company itself. But there’s one big difference: Signal is actually really private. You can text or make voice or video calls with friends, either one-on-one or in groups, and use emoji reactions or stickers just like in other apps. Signal is a free, privacy-focused messaging and voice talk app you can use on Apple and Android smartphones, and via desktop. So, thinking about joining Signal? Bottom line: If you care about privacy, it’s a good idea.

How to protect your privacy in a post-Roe America
