Monday 24 April 2017

Signal: Best Instant Messaging App in terms of privacy

Looking for messaging privacy, then Signal Private Messenger App is the best for you.


Hey tech fans, today we talking about Instant Messaging privacy/encryption and best example to use is the Signal Private Messaging App as the name describes is an iOS and also an Android app developed by Open Whisper Systems informally abbreviated OWS. Am already using it and loving it, problem is not many of my contacts have it so let me share it out so that many can start using it.

OWS is a software organization that was founded by Moxie Marlinspike in 2013. Its main focus is the development of the Signal Protocol and maintains an encrypted communications application called "Signal" which is what we will talk about today. The organization is funded by a combination of donations and grants, and all of its products are published as free and open-source software.

The Signal Protocol (formerly known as the TextSecure Protocol) is a non-federated cryptographic protocol that can be used to provide end-to-end encryption for voice calls, video calls, and instant messaging conversations.

There are several Apps namely; WhatsApp and Telegram that offer encryption features but how good/safe is Signal Private Messenger App from the other two? lets know...
Signal Private Messaging App is a normal messaging app, but it sends the message in encrypted form when you chat with someone who also uses the Signal app. Earlier or recently WhatsApp included and announced its End to End encryption feature which was received well because that is what users want -- Privacy, Telegram has privacy/encryption feature but only when using "Secret Chat" option. In Signal, voice calls on Signal are encrypted. Checking on the figure below, screenshots can be disabled on the app by going into the “Privacy” settings in the app and toggling the “screen security” option to the right. It also has a “passphrase” option in the “Privacy” menu, which sets a password for opening the app, so no one else can access the app on your phone. Signal app can also be used as your default SMS/MMS app

Other options such as “Appearance” lets you change the background theme from light to dark. Similar to WhatsApp, Signal also lets you share media and GIFs.


Signal’s interface and encryption protocol makes it the most reliable and secure app in the market, considering that it also offers voice and video calls encryption. Signal app has been commended by several computer security experts...
Using Signal, you can communicate instantly while avoiding SMS fees, create groups so that you can chat in real time with all your friends at once, and share media or attachments all with complete privacy. The server never has access to any of your communication and never stores any of your data.
 

★ Open Source. Signal is Free and Open Source, enabling anyone to verify its security by auditing the code.  Signal is the only private messenger that uses open source peer-reviewed cryptographic protocols to keep your messages safe.
★ Group Chat. Signal allows you to create encrypted groups so you can have private conversations with all your friends at once.  Not only are the messages encrypted, but the Signal server never has access to any group metadata such as the membership list, group title, or group icon.
★ Fast. The Signal protocol is designed to operate in the most constrained environment possible. Using Signal, messages are instantly delivered to friends.
★ Speak Freely - Make crystal-clear phone calls to people who live across town, or across the ocean, with no long-distance charges.

Signal is not currently compatible with tablets, but support for larger screens is on their roadmap and will be included in a future release! All of Signal App source code is free, open source, and available on GitHub. This allows experts to verify their protocols and implementations. The desktop software is also available.
Click below to view Signal Android App Source code from Github
Download Signal for Android
Download Signal for iOS

Download Signal for Desktop via Chrome App Store


2 comments:

  1. Great article,looking for the software ASAP

    ReplyDelete
  2. Voice calls,group chats and video calls are encrypted woooow!!

    ReplyDelete