The developers of Signal also protect chat metadata - extra info about who wrote to whom - which can be no less sensitive than the contents of the chat and is a frequent source of confidential information leaks.įinally, Signal also encrypts user profile info. Moreover, the service does not store group information such as participants, title, and avatar. Unlike Telegram, whose end-to-end encryption works only in so-called secret chats for two users, Signal also encrypts group chats and calls end to end.

But by comparison, Signal encrypts much more data. Even the competing WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, and Skype use the Signal Protocol for secure communication. In many ways, it was thanks to Signal that end-to-end encryption became so widely used in messaging apps. Using end-to-end encryption is an important way to improve messaging security. That means only the parties chatting with one another can read their texts, and nobody - not even the app’s developers - can listen in on individual or group calls. One of Signal’s indisputable advantages is its default use of end-to-end encryption. End-to-end encryption - a pillar of privacy Signal featuresįeatures available to all Signal users include end-to-end encryption, secure data storage, and the ability to view Signal’s code. Here’s what they have achieved and how to make Signal even more secure. However, cybersecurity experts have known about Signal for a long time, and that’s no wonder developers have spent years polishing the app’s privacy and security. Following Elon Musk’s laconic call to use Signal, millions of users downloaded the app, resulting in temporary technical issues with the service. The Signal messaging app leapt in popularity in January 2021, when WhatsApp changed its privacy policy.

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