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We want to christen this new section called Beyond Google going to analyze and look for alternatives to Whatsapp. Because it is true that Google has a monopoly on many online services but in some sectors, like messaging, has never managed to fully break through (despite having tried many times, even recently). We thought about what service most of us use the most besides Google search and probably even before Facebook there is Whatsapp.
Alternatives to Whatsapp and not to Google Hangouts
You might wonder why we don't look for alternatives to Google Hangouts but let's try alternatives to Whatsapp. You can easily imagine the answer. We are interested in giving you intelligent and interesting tips and solutions for well-known products. Our it's not a tout-court battle against Google but a battle for one greater awareness of one's privacy.
Unfortunately, with Whatsapp we enter a difficult area that often goes well beyond our possibilities. If our colleagues, our boss, our classmates they all use Whatsapp we are somehow forced to use it. However, this does not mean that we should give up immediately.
Choose an app from those we offer below and start installing it. Then try to convince even just one person, perhaps the one you are most familiar with. The only way we can convince other people is for someone to actually start using these products. Some of the alternatives to Whatsapp they work really well.
But are the alternatives to Whatsapp encrypted?
One of the considerations that many make is that Whatsapp is ultimately encrypted. It is true. Whatsapp He says that conversations are encrypted end-to-end. He says though, there's no way to prove it. And there is no way to know if there are backdoors created specifically to be able to control the written data anyway Facebook has never been particularly clear and honest with its users. Whatsapp has never received an audit (unlike Signal, as we will see below). Why should we trust right now? Furthermore, practically everyone carries out i backup of chats and none of these are encrypted.
However, we want to give credit to Zuckerberg and let's assume that Whatsapp messages are really entirely encrypted. Unfortunately, however, everything else is certainly not. And by everything else we mean the number of times you have contacted a person, the number of accesses you have made, how much you have written with a person and for how long. This is also why we need alternatives to Whatsapp, possibly Open source.
The importance of metadata
In short, it may also be true that what is written in the messages is encrypted (even if, as mentioned, there is no proof and we are only going on trust). All the rest (like metadata) but it's clear and Whatsapp can very well triangulate it with all the other information it has on you. In fact, let's remember that Whatsapp, Instagram And Facebook they are one big family. As we have already told you in Alternatives to Google Maps it takes very little to analyze your data and discover that if you text a person every 5 minutes every day and this person is married (because he wrote it on Facebook!) just do 2+2 to understand that maybe she is your lover. That's why we think that it's not just theopen source but in the absence of this, a fragmentation of our online privacy is also important.
Finally, we leave you with the our favorite alternatives, are more or less in order of preference. It's not always easy to say if one application is better or worse than the other. However, we also leave you a small gift: this list (unfortunately only available on Google Docs) is really very beautiful.
Furthermore, over the course of these months we have often talked about Whatsapp and the like. For example:
- Watomatic, for automatic replies on Whatsapp (useful to say: “hey, you can find me on Signal or Telegram).
Signal – The best among the alternatives to Whatsapp
Signal among all alternatives to Whatsapp it is perhaps the best. Since it has been recommended by Snowden himself then it had a peak in downloads and there are many of us who use it. The advantages of Signal are many, in the meantime completely open-source. There is no big company behind it trying to spy on you, profile you, sell you things. AND end-to-end encrypted, the only metadata that Signal keeps is the day you connected to the service. Everything else such as location, address book, conversations and so on is not preserved in any way. Lately some graphic updates have been made such as stickers (encrypted too!) which make it even more appealing in the eyes of the average user. We add that Signal can also be used to send SMS (not encrypted!) so it can be convenient for those who want to have a single app for everything.
But I have nothing to hide, why use alternatives to Whatsapp?
Don't be fooled by those who tell you that only those who have something to hide use Signal. The truth is not so much that we have nothing to hide but that we have nothing to show! It is a sacrosanct right that our private conversations remain private, nothing else. Don't let your privacy fall into the hands of private companies with increasingly unclear methods.
We also point out that Signal received an Audit in 2016 and passed with flying colors.
We find no reason not to use it other than obviously that we can't convince anyone to use it. Start by installing it. You can use it on Windows, download it from Play Store. There is also its version for iOS.
AGAINST
Mainly the fact that few people use it. Furthermore they have introduced the obligation to enter a personal telephone number, we are not crazy about this even if we understand that it is perhaps the only real way to fight spam.
The creators of Signal furthermore they don't seem very interested in the community's requests. For example, there is a component of their platform that allows a government to trace your IP rather than hide it. A very dangerous situation for those who live in states at risk and yet ignored to date by the developers.
🇺🇸 servers in the United States
🔓 Open source
Telegram
Telegram is for many people one of the best alternatives to Whatsapp. We actually put it in second position especially because it is one of the apps most used in Italy after Whatsapp. It has many more options than Whatsapp it's at Signal, let's think for example about channels (there is also the our!) or i bot. Telegram and then open source and also downloadable from F-Droid. But server side its code is not public. Furthermore, Telegram encourages the use of the cloud (also because in this way you have a backup of the chats) by enabling those Not end-to-end encrypted. The same goes for messages within channels and groups: they are encrypted but Not end-to-end.
Encrypted chats?
The only way to have one end-to-end encrypted chat is to ask for it explicitly and is called in Italian as “secret chat“. Secret chats are interesting in that they can be self-destructed and above all it is never backed up, this way you are pretty sure that there are no prying eyes. This option though it is not known by everyone and most people use Telegram with the default settings.
In addition to this, the company was born in Russia and now there operational headquarters is in Dubai. All these little things added together make us doubt his real good intentions and his safety.
However, it can be used comfortably away web or you can download it from Play Store or up F-Droid. Obviously it also exists on iOS.
AGAINST
Server side not Open source and non-encrypted end-to-end chats by default. There is also a privacy issue with the “Find nearby people” which has not yet been resolved 1. Basically someone can find out your precise and not approximate location if you activate it. However, it works not active by default.
🔓 partially Open source
Threema
Few people know this alternative to Whatsapp. It's actually a very cool app. AND designed in Switzerland, they promise to be privacy friendly and not to pass on any type of your data to third parties, they have no advertising as the app is paid (It currently costs €3.99). Why do we like it so much? Because it is Switzerland and why it does not require any type of mobile number to be used! Furthermore the web client is Open source and you could too host it on your server.
It can be found on Play Store or on theApple Store. Plus you can too download the APK from their site if you have already purchased a license. Another good reason to use it is their message backup method. It is very safe and has recently passed a new security audit 2.
AGAINST
A paid messaging app is unfortunately a major limitation for its overall use. However, if you have some friends willing to use it, it is an excellent alternative.
🌳 100% renewable energy
🇨🇭 server in Switzerland
🔓 Open source
Session
Session is a new messaging chat really interesting. One of the things we like most about this application is the fact that No phone number is required for installation. This is a great thing especially in these times where all social networks and apps constantly try to target us thanks to our mobile number (which we rarely change and therefore it identifies us like very few other things). We also like it because it is Open source, free and promises not to keep any kind of metadata trace. Furthermore uses the Onion network (the same as Tor) and uses a End-to-end encryption. It can be used on both Android, what about iPhone what up Desktop. All synchronized with each other. If you can convince some friends to use it, it can really be a great messaging app to use!
🔓 Open source
Element (formerly Riot)
Update 07-15-20: Riot comes out of beta e becomes Element!
It couldn't be missing from this list Riot Element, one of the most important instant messaging apps that uses the Matrix protocol for communication decentralized. AND open source And totally focused on privacy. His chats are all end-to-end encrypted by default. We tested it and as a message-only app it's not bad at all.
You can use it away Browsers, or download it on Android via Play Store or F-Droid. It is also present onApp Store!
AGAINST
It is especially recommended for those who are a little expert. Certainly it is not as user-friendly as Signal.
🔓 Open source
Tox
We don't know this messaging app personally, but we've heard great things about it everywhere. Tox is truly a unique app, use one P2P technology so it is almost impossible for its servers to go down for any reason. And this in itself is a significant advantage and strong point. Plus it is completely open-source and offers encrypted calls and chats.
Tox is available on Windows, on OSX, on Linux, on iOS, on the Play Store come on F-Droid.
AGAINST
Unfortunately it has some bugs and doesn't have all the features of Signal but it's definitely worth giving it a look and a chance, especially if you have some geeky friends to use it with him/her!
🔓 Open source
Delta Chat
This is a very interesting experimental project. It's an application Open source which allows you to send messages via email and transform them, visually, in a chat. There are no proprietary servers, there is no tracking and there is no centralized control. You can also write to anyone with an email address without asking him to install this or that application. As we said, it is still in the development phase but it is very promising and interesting. Read theirs carefully FAQ (they are in Italian) and if you want to take part in the tests you can download it on Play Store or up F-Droid. There is also a version onApp Store.
🔓 Open source
Wire
Wire is an interesting app and especially useful for corporate projects. Use one End-to-end encryption and it's totally her too open source. He also received some Independent audits and that's always a good thing. In its Business version it is paid and it costs €4 per month for each user, in the private version it is free. It has recently also been present on F-Droid.
We honestly have never tested it as we are not interested in such a large project for a simple messaging app between friends. But maybe someone might be interested in using it as alternative to Skype for example. Or recommend it to some employer who persists in doing so use Whatsapp for sensitive data.
AGAINST
It is little known and used so it may not be too comfortable among friends and relatives. However, it can be excellent business alternative to Skype.
🇪🇺 European servers
🔓 Open source
- Telegram feature exposes your precise address to hackers[↩]
- New Audit Confirms Threema's Security Once Again[↩]
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