Signal, application pro privacy

Do you know which are the free messaging apps most downloaded at the moment? Signal and Telegram, that after the upgrade of the privacy of Whatsapp became the favourite of the users App Store and Play Store. Let’s see together why.

Signal: the escape from WhatsApp

Whats app upgrades its privacy settings and here you have the users migrate on orther more safe apps.

A severe own gol by the Facebook company caused by a communication error, that according to many it violates the rules about the privacy for lack of transparence.

Here you have that the new is spreaded and million of users start to use Signal or Telegram, afraid for a further privacy invasion. Why these two apps? Because they guarantee to the users to exchange messages, files and much more without the need to subscribe.

Whic is the best app for privacy and safety?

Between these two which is the best app for privacy and safety? In common they have the shape, which means they are both chat apps that offer cryptography end-to-end (since always not like Whats app that added this option only few years ago).

The end-to-end cryptography is safer because it guarantees that the communications remain known only by the users of the chat. Furthermore, once did the backup of the chat on our own cloud or drive we will be able to keep the content secret there and to delete the conversation.

There is even more. Signal and Telegram allow the transmission of big size files, even not in format pdf, and they give the possibility to the users to exchange amount of money.

Signal, open source cryptography

Let’s start to say the pros of this application. Signal is largely considered the app that care the most about the privacy.

Mainly because its cryptography is end-to-end for every chat, every message, every call. This means – like we explained before – that they can be read or listen only by the receivers.

That’s not a case that the slogan of the app is “The privacy isn’t an optional mode — it’s only the way Signal works”.

Furthermore, this application allows to confirme that the server correctly works and that you are communicating with the right person by using the safety numbers.

A kinf of end-to-end open source cryptography, which is considered a best practice between the professionals of the informatic safety. This means that the code can be examinated here on GitHub to identify some defects, backdoors and that it’s verified by the researchers.

Signal has app for Android, iPhone, iPad, Mac, Windows and Linux and careful functionings for the privacy like the messages that self-destroy, if setted the timer.

Not only, the app ha added a serie of user-friendly fucntions, included the group video chat for a maximum of 8 partecipants.

It even has some cons. Even if is having a boom of subscriptions, it isn’t such largely used as WhatsApp and iMessage. To download it we need the word of mouth of all to let friends, relatives and coworkers use it.

Anyway maybe it’s the time that we stat to move the conversations, especially the working ones, on Signal or Telegram (of which we will talking in the next paragaph) because they give higher possibilities and they are safer.

Telegram: pros and cons like Signal

As well as Signal even Telegram is becoming popular between the messaging services alternative of Whats app. Even this app has its pros and cons that we will analyze.

Telegram supports up to 200.000 members per group. That’s the reasons why it is the reference app for the protesters of Hong Kong, Iran and Belarus.

Between its pros it has the fact to have unique characteristics, like the order of the contacts according to when we saw them the last time.

Unfortunally it’s often criticized bcause it published only selected parts of its code for the public review. Basically it has an end-to-end cryptography weaker than Signal. Even though this the spokesman of Telegram – Mike Ravdonikas – said that the cryptography and the API of the application are completely documented and opened for a review of the safety experts.

By the way, the code of the server back-end of the app isn’t public. A page of support claims that all the code “will be released at the end”. So even on Telegram, as well as on Facebook Messenger, the cryptography end to end isn’t on default, but it must be activated by transforming the chat in secret chat.

This post is also available in: Italiano