WhatsApp has achieved a big position in terms of messaging apps across the world. About 2.9 billion people around the world communicate through it. Its easy-to-use interface, group chat, and media sharing facility have made it very popular among the people. WhatsApp keeps adding new privacy features continuously. Services like end-to-end encryption are used to secure the messages of WhatsApp users. Many features of WhatsApp make it a great private messenger app.
But, is WhatsApp really the king of privacy? This question arises because whatsapppart of the meta. Meta is the parent company of the world’s three famous tech platforms Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp. Meta is known for its data collection policy.
Concerns of WhatsApp users
Many people are worried that WhatsApp could use their data for other Meta products, even if their messages are encrypted. Apart from this, changes keep happening in the privacy policy of WhatsApp from time to time, which creates confusion among the users.
Let us compare popular messaging apps like WhatsApp, Signal, Telegram and Threema to find the answer to this question and know which app is at the forefront in terms of privacy, or whether WhatsApp is the real king of privacy.
1. Privacy Design
- WhatsApp: A phone number is required to use it.
- Signal: A phone number is required to use it, but it offers strong privacy features.
- Telegram: This app allows users to register using username, but by default phone number is used.
- Threema: This app does not require a phone number or email to use, which makes it a high-level private app.
2. End-to-End Encryption
- WhatsApp: End-to-end encryption is available by default for all messages.
- Signal: This app provides end-to-end encryption for all types of conversations, which is active by default.
- Telegram: It has end-to-end encryption for ‘secret chats’, but this encryption is not the default in normal chats and group chats.
- Threema: End-to-end encryption is available for all messages, files and calls.
3. Open Source
- WhatsApp: It is not open source (Meta is proprietary).
- Signal: It is completely open source, that is, its code is publicly available.
- Telegram: The client is open source, but the server side code is closed, which may raise some privacy and transparency concerns.
- Threema: This is also open source.
If you are very conscious about privacy and security, then Signal and Threema can be the top choices. WhatsApp is quite easy to use, but it is tied to Meta’s advertising and data-sharing practices. Telegram is fine for general conversations, but a little less secure, especially for group chats and non-secret chats.
You can use WhatsApp, Signal and Telegram for free, but Threema is a paid messaging service platform. To use Threema, you will have to spend at least 2 dollars (approximately Rs 168) per month.