There are also options for users who don’t want to connect their Signal account with their personal phone number or iCloud history. “Essentially, it encodes your message so that only the intended recipient’s device can unlock it”. “Signal is safe to use, mainly because it provides end-to-end encryption, which means messages are secured before they’re sent, and they are decrypted only once they arrive at the intended recipient’s device”, explained McAfee VP Antony Demetriades. Unlike Telegram, which also benefits from end-to-end encryption in its “secret chats”, Signal has the feature enabled by default so you won’t have to take any additional steps to get this extra layer of privacy. Signal is safer than many messaging apps because it uses end-to-end encryption, which ensures that no one (not even Signal) can intercept and read your messages. Finally, don’t forget to check out our ultimate security guide to learn the best ways to safeguard your data when surfing the web. We reached out to security experts from McAfee, Searchlight Security, F-Secure, Comparitech and IDC to learn more about Signal, how the apps handles your data and how it’s encryption compares to other popular messaging apps on the market.įor more on messaging apps and your privacy, make sure to visit our guides to WhatsApp and Telegram, along with our more in-depth comparison of Signal vs Telegram. Signal is considered an independent non-profit, meaning its development is supported entirely by grants and donations and it isn’t funded by any major tech company or advertisers. Signal even designed face coverings that would “encrypt your face” in the real world to maintain its users’ privacy outside the app. In 2020, the company released a face blurring tool to protect the identities’ of protestors in the marches against racism and police brutality.

Of course, encryption isn’t the only privacy tool in Signal’s arsenal. Signal’s encryption, in particular, is powered by the app’s own open source Signal Protocol and adds an additional layer of security to almost every communication you hold over the app, from one-on-one messages and group chats to voice calls, video calls and even stickers. Signal’s privacy-first approach has earned the praise of whistleblowers, privacy advocates, journalists and high-profile tech moguls over the years and made it an easy go-to when organising protests and passing on sensitive information.Īrguably the most important privacy tool on Signal is end-to-end encryption. Signal is often considered one of the most privacy-focussed messaging services in Apple and Google’s app stores, but how safe is it really? We reached out to 5 security experts to learn more about Signal and your data.

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