Whatsapp Vs Telegram Vs Signal: which is more secure to use:
Right now the largest messaging service in the world is WhatsApp but over 2 billion monthly active users. Following that, Telegram accounts for 400 million, and Signal stand at a ballpark of 10-20 million monthly active users. As Whatsapp is facing a lot of backlash for its new privacy policy, people are looking for its alternatives. While telegram is catching up in the race, Signal seems to have just joined. Here is a comparison between the three apps, so that you can decide which one you should use.
WhatsApp:
This app has everything that you would need on a social messaging service including the in-app payment feature. It offers great features such as:
- Group video calls
- Whatsapp status feature
- You can share your live location
- Backup and restore messages and data via cloud services like Google Drive and iCloud
- Photos, videos, and audio files can be shared up to 16 MB
- WhatsApp uses end to end encryption (E2E) for communication: messages, video calls, voice calls, photos, and anything
Telegram:
Telegram is known for its massive groups, it allows up to 200,000 members. Just like WhatsApp it also offers basic features like chats, group chats, and channels. It also offers multiple group-specific features such as bots, polls, quizzes, hashtags, and a lot more which can make group experiences a lot more fun.
The app also offers a unique feature, self-destructing messages (like Snapchat) which is great if you’re sending messages that you don’t want to remain on the recipient’s device for eternity. The size limit for sharing files on Telegram is a whopping 1.5 GB. The app now has both voice and video calls on Android and iOS devices.
Signal:
This new application offers its users secure messaging, voice, and video calls and all communications are end-to-end encrypted. It also has a Note to Self feature to share your own thoughts and ideas without creating single-member groups. It also has self -destructing messages features, that automatically delete messages. Signal allows you to relay voice calls to its servers so your identity remains concealed from your contacts. There are also emojis and some privacy stickers, but they are very limited in comparison to WhatsApp and Telegram.
WhatsApp vs Signal vs Telegram: Privacy Permissions:
WhatsApp does not encrypt backups (cloud or local). Whatsapp also does not encrypt metadata unlike Signal, which is used to carry communication between two endpoints. WhatsApp group chats have been earlier found to be indexed on Google search. Telegram group chats are not encrypted unless you use Secret Chats.
What data does each app collect?
WhatsApp:
- Device ID
- User ID
- Advertising Data
- Purchase History
- Coarse Location
- Phone Number
- Email Address
- Contacts
- Product Interaction
- Crash Data
- Performance Data
- Other Diagnostic Data
- Payment Info
- Customer Support
- Product Interaction
- Other User Content
Telegram:
- Contact Info
- Contacts
- User ID
Signal:
- None. (The only personal data Signal stores is your phone number)
I hope you now know which application you should use?
