After tech giants like Twitter banned Trump and thousands of other far-right accounts, millions switched to apps like Signal and Telegram for their encrypted messaging services.
However, there is a problem: Telegram, unlike Signal, does not have end-to-end encryption by default.
End-to-end encryption means that only the message sender and recipient can read the message. Even the server that hosts it, like Signal or iMessage on Apple devices, is unable to decrypt and read what someone has written. If these servers were ever hacked, hackers would not be able to read the messages either. It is safe to say, then, that end-to-end encryption (e2e) is an imperative element to protect messages.
Like New York Times Technology reporter Mike Isaac pointed out on Twitter that those who combine Signal and Telegram are doing it wrong because of this difference:
some things:
signal and telegram are sort of mixed up in the recent coverage, but they are very different
The signal is much more of a classic messenger product, encrypted from end to end by default
Telegram acts more like a social network + messenger and is NOT e2e by default
– rat king (@MikeIsaac) January 14, 2021
“Sign is [pretty] a classic ‘messenger’ product, encrypted from end to end by default, “explained Isaac.” Telegram acts more like a social network + messenger and is NOT e2e by default. “
In fact, according to your FAQ, a user must make a Telegram chat “secret” in order for it to be encrypted by e2e. Telegram has public, private and secret chats; secret chats are only between two people. This means that chats in private Telegram groups are not encrypted with e2e, so they are more exposed
How does Telegram encryption compare to other messaging systems?
The signal, as already mentioned, has e2e encryption by default. Among the main messaging applications, however, it appears to be the only one (at the time of this publication). Facebook Messenger is not automatically encrypted by e2e. Like Telegram, you need to make chat “secret”.
WhatsApp, owned by Facebook, has end-to-end encryption for chats between family and friends, but the rules are confusing when it comes to business chats. The app planned to change the encryption of the business chat in a policy update on February 8, but due to the reaction, they postponed it to May 15.
Whatsapp messages between friends and family are encrypted from end to end by default. However, your Whatsapp messages to companies may not be encrypted from end to end as of May 15 if the company has granted access to third-party providers, such as the parent company Facebook, for hosting purposes. When starting a chat with this type of company, you will see a light blue message at the top explaining the type of privacy you can expect. If the chat with the company is encrypted from end to end, you will see a note at the top of the chat in yellow saying this.
To recap: the signal is always encrypted by e2e. Whatsapp has e2e for friends, family and businesses today; some business chats will change in a few months. Facebook Messenger and Telegram are not e2e by default. It is necessary to make the chat “secret” in any of the applications for this to be so. In the case of Telegram, this means that only chats between two people have the potential to be encrypted with e2e.
Here it is. Go ahead and choose your messaging service wisely. (Hint: make it a sign.)