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Updated January 11th, 2021 at 18:57 IST

Is Signal app really safe? How safe is it compared to WhatsApp?

Thinking of switching to Signal? Is Signal app really safe? How do you know it's as safe as it claims to be? Read on to know more details.

Reported by: Sanjana Kalyanpur
is signal app really safe
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Thinking of switching to Signal? Is Signal safer as compared with WhatsApp? How do you know it's as safe as it claims to be? Many WhatsApp users are marching towards Signal. This move was instigated by the recent announcement made by WhatsApp that meant a more elaborate form of customer data sharing with Facebook.

It read, "The information we share with Facebook Companies includes your account registration information (such as your phone number), transaction data, service-related information, information on how you interact with others (including businesses) when using our Services, mobile device information, your IP address, and may include other information identified in the Privacy Policy section entitled 'Information We Collect' or obtained upon notice to you or based on your consent." The new policy will come to effect on February 8, 2021. But what actually provoked people into switching to Signal right away was a single tweet by Tesla CEO Elon Musk that said, "Use Signal" to 41.5 million of his Twitter followers. Add to that, security experts Matt Green and Bruce Schneier, American whistleblower Edward Snowden and Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey also recommended using Signal.

Also Read - Twitter Is Testing Voice Chat Room Called 'Spaces' To Help Users Experience 'intimacy'

Is Signal app really safe?

'Say Hello to Privacy' reads Signal's tagline. Though most of Signal's features are similar to WhatsApp, here's what makes them different. First and foremost, let's understand where each of the apps comes from. While WhatsApp is acquired by one of the biggest tech companies of today i.e. Facebook, Signal is owned by a non-profit organization, Signal Foundation and the app is further developed only through the donations made by their customers.

How much private is private?

Though WhatsApp claims to be end-to-end encrypted, did you know that your back-up messages that transfer to the cloud and the metadata that connects the two ends are not? On the other hand, Signal doesn't at all send your data to the cloud. Instead, your back-up files are saved locally in your phone so that only you have the key to them. The metadata is also encrypted on Signal.

Also Read - Tesla's Stock Market Value Surpasses Facebook's To Become 5th Most Valuable Company In S&P

The keyboard is not your friend, in most cases.

Whatever you type on your keyboard can be saved and transferred as a part of user data, depending on the app you're using. Fortunately, Signal has the option of Incognito Keyboard that acts as a Screen Security so that no other app in your window can see what you're typing. Apart from the obvious parameters, here's why Signal app privacy policy is actually said to be safe. While WhatsApp collects a number of data from you the moment you log in, including your user ID, device ID, advertising data, purchase history, product information, etc., Signal only asks for your mobile number to verify and register your profile.

Also Read - Amazon To Remove Parler From Its Web Hosting Service Over Violence Encouraging Posts

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Published January 11th, 2021 at 18:57 IST

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