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| 4 reasons to use Signal instead of WhatsApp |
This week the European Commission asked its staff to use Signal's primary contact method instead of WhatsApp on Facebook. According to the European Commission, WhatsApp should not be the preferred app for those who want to keep their private messages safe.
Why did the European Commission take this decision? Jobs provided by Signal, not by WhatsApp.
Here are four reasons why you should use Signal instead of WhatsApp:
What is the difference between Signal and WhatsApp?
Security experts say Signal provides additional protection beyond WhatsApp, especially after several security vulnerabilities occurred in the past year. In general, we found great similarities between the two applications, as users of the two applications used their phone numbers and gave the app access to contact records. However, they were on the following points, it's different:
1- Open Source Signal Application:
Both use end-to-end encryption, which means that messages cannot be decrypted when transferred between devices. But the main difference between them is that the semaphore application is open source, where engineers and researchers can verify the code, WhatsApp does not allow basic operations and cannot simply verify the code.
2- Encrypted backup:
Although WhatsApp messages cannot be intercepted during transmission, the app stores the following information: user interactions when connecting to the Internet and phone numbers in the contact record. In some cases, this data relates to Facebook profiles.
Likewise, there is no protection for WhatsApp backup online, as users can easily recover messages when they receive a new phone.
Although Signal allows Android device users to save and recover chat history, it must be decrypted with a 30-digit password. IPhone data can never be backed up.
3- screen security features:
In the Signal app, you can activate a function called (Screen Security) in the privacy settings, which prevents other applications on your phone and prevents you from taking screenshots of the conversation in the application application. This way, you can make sure that even if the app monitors what you're doing on your phone, it won't be able to track what's going on in the Signal app.
4- ads cannot be added:
The bookmark manager confirmed that, at least for the time being, there are no plans for the ad to exist and that WhatsApp initially has similar obligations, but these have changed since Facebook's acquisition. This is unlikely to happen for Signal because it is an open source project and it is very difficult to use open source projects to display ads.
It is worth noting that Signal was first launched in 2014 as a project developed by businessman and security engineer Moxie Marlinspike. It was also supported by a non-profit organization that was supported by WhatsApp founder (Brian Acton), who left the company in 2017 after a problem with Facebook management.
The app is freely available for Android users on Google Play and for iPhone and iPad users via the app store. There is also a version on the Internet.