Security concerns drive WhatsApp users out of popular messaging app

Security concerns drive WhatsApp users out of popular messaging app

What you need to know:

  • Facebook made it clear that WhatsApp messages will remain protected. Many WhatsApp users, however, are not taking chances. They are moving to the little-known but watertight app called Signal.

Facebook acquired WhatsApp a few years ago. The marriage between these two social media titans sent jitters among some of WhatsApp’s two billion users. They are concerned that the security of their content may be compromised.

And there is a good precedent: Whereas WhatsApp has been one of the most secure messaging apps in the market, Facebook is not. Its security is patchy.


Remain protected

Facebook made it clear that WhatsApp messages will remain protected. Many WhatsApp users, however, are not taking chances. They are moving to the little-known but watertight app called Signal.

Signal is free. It works just like WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, iMessage, and SMS. Its users can send texts or make phone or video calls without outsiders or the platform itself seeing the content of those messages.

The difference is under the hood: It is impregnable. If the messages are intercepted, they would be a mishmash of garbage.

Even if Signal is forced to disclose what it knows about you, the company knows almost nothing about you. It would, therefore, have nothing to give out. The only information it keeps about the app subscriber is their phone number, the last time they used the app, and the date the account was created.

In contrast, Facebook keeps your full name, a copy of your Facebook texts on its Messenger, a list of places from where you have accessed your account, and much more. It is feared that because it now owns WhatsApp, Facebook could make it possible for similar information transmitted via WhatsApp, to be available.

Signal supports one-to-one messages, groups, stickers, photos, file transfers, voice calls, and even video calls. You can have group chats with up to 1,000 people and group calls with up to eight people.

It also offers the option to disable or enable the ability to see whether someone has read your messages. You can also turn off the ability for someone to see if you are typing a message—and you can’t even tell if someone is online or offline.


Supreme privacy

Because of its supreme privacy features, Signal has become attractive to individuals or groups wary of their government or another entity seeing their communication.

And unlike other social media companies, Signal service does not sell ads or user data, to make money: It is a not-for-profit company. It lives off donations from well-wishers.


Download Signal

You can download Signal app from the Apple App Store for iPhone and iPad or Google Play for Android devices.

Given that most people are on WhatsApp, it may make sense to remain there but have Signal on the side for private and sensitive information. Signal will become a commonplace platform when more users join in. But with over half a billion users currently and security of messages remaining a headscratcher for many, that time is not unimaginable.