Signal Private Messaging: All You Need To Know

Signal has recently gained popularity after the WhatsApp Privacy Policy controversy. WhatsApp announced earlier this year that it will be sharing “certain” data with its parent company, Facebook. Users were outraged and started to look for alternatives that would respect their privacy, one such app was Signal.

After the protests, there was a major surge in Signal downloads. The number of users increases so much that the server went down, Signal’s Twitter later released a statement urging users to be patient and that they were working to resolve the issue.

What is the allure of Signal that it is a favorite of government officials, companies, and cyber specialists?

In the following article, we will be highlighting all the features that make Signal the perfect app for communicating privately.

What is Signal?

Signal is a free private messaging app that enables you to send texts, photos, voice messages, make video and voice calls. The app uses end-to-end encryption that prevents even the government from accessing or track messages. All your messages are stored locally on your device rather than being backed up in the cloud hence the company has no access to your data and can’t share it with third parties.

The app ensures that your calls and messages are end-to-end encrypted. Cody Beers, a technical training manager at WhiteHat Security said, “This provides a higher level of security than previous generations of messaging apps, that only provided encryption in the form of HTTPS,” Basically the messages sent are encrypted from your end and then are decrypted on the app of the recipient. No one will be able to intercept the messages or carry out messages transfer except the intended party, this includes government officials.

Features worth Mentioning

• You can have about 150 participants on Group Chats
•  If you want a message to be available for a limited time, there is a timer for disappearing messages. The texts will automatically sled-destruct after the time is up. Signal also prevents users from taking screenshots.
• There are in-app photo editing features as well. The app allows you to include texts, draw and blur images. There are even a wide variety of stickers available.
• You can make your chats fun by choosing from a plethora of emojis, stickers, GIFs
•  Share contact information, voice messages, and your location with ease
•  Instead of compromising the integrity of a message by sending it to someone in your contact list, you can simply send the text to yourself by selecting the “Note to Self” option.

What makes Signal so secure?

Signal’s main selling point is that it keeps your data safe by taking multiple precautions. Chris Hauk, a consumer privacy champion at Pixel Privacy said, “Signal is also an open-source app, meaning the code can be reviewed by anyone to make sure there are no flaws in the app and its system,” As if it was abundantly clear, Signal makes it clear that it does not share any users data or saves it in their system.

Additionally, Signal not only encrypts messages but also hides virtually all metadata associated with the message, including who sent the message. In case of your phone is lost or stolen there is no way to retrieve your messages since Signal does not store your messages in a cloud.

So should you use it?

Signal is as safe is as it gets. The private messaging app does everything possible in power to ensure that your data stays safe. The end-to-end encryption and overall functionality of the app make sure that you and the recipient are the only ones viewing your conversations and your private data remains private. It is a viable competitor for WhatsApp.