Tech News Desk – Digital privacy and data security have become a very important part of today’s time. We all use messaging apps where we chat with our friends, family and have private chats with them. Cyber security software company Avast has released its list of most secure messaging apps in 2023 keeping in mind the need. And we’ve curated the ones you can trust the most. Many messages like WhatsApp, Telegram are included in this list.
What are the dangers of using an unsecured messaging app?
If you are using an unencrypted messaging app, your data may be exposed to the company running the app, advertisers and hackers. And in the event of a data breach, you may lose all your data and it may get leaked online. Your personal information can also be sold online or used for identity theft and other cyber crimes.
WhatsApp
With over two billion monthly active users, WhatsApp is one of the most popular messaging apps. But it is also one of the safest. WhatsApp provides end-to-end encryption for both individual chats and group messages. No one has access to the data except the participants in the conversation. WhatsApp also offers two-step verification. In recent times, it has also come under scrutiny for spam text messages, scam calls and spyware attacks.
Telegram
Like WhatsApp, Telegram also comes with end-to-end encryption and two-step authentication. There is also a privacy mode which adds another layer of security. Telegram stores all your messages and data on a secure cloud, but it can still be hacked and your data can be stolen if the servers are breached. You get this only in a privacy chat mode where Telegram does not store your data on its servers.
Signal
It is considered to be one of the most secure messaging apps available. Signal also comes with end-to-end call and text encryption features. Its encryption protocol is so secure that other major apps like WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger also use it. It also has a disappearing message mode for added privacy. It is an open-source platform, which also means that it undergoes fairly regular privacy audits by independent users and institutions to help fix all of its security flaws.
iMessage
Provides end-to-end encryption between iMessage users for the Apple platforms, iOS, iPadOS, MacOS, and watchOS. Data in iMessage can be backed up to iCloud, Apple’s cloud storage platform. Although it is an easy way to transfer and store data. Your data is not secure on iCloud which can compromise your personal data.
facebook messenger
Facebook Messenger, owned by Meta, is a widely used messaging service that includes one-to-one and group messaging, stickers, photos, file transfers, voice and video calls, and disappearing messages. This app also provides end-to-end encryption like WhatsApp. Notably, both the Facebook app and Meta have had privacy and security issues due to the data store and past data scandals.