- Signal saw a 4200% increase in user downloads this week as WhatsApp users considered leaving the platform.
- Both Signal and WhatsApp are end-to-end encrypted messaging platforms that allow users to communicate over Wi-Fi or cellular data.
- But the two applications vary in the amount of user data they collect, ownership and ease of use.
- While Signal offers users more privacy, Facebook’s WhatsApp has customizable features that allow easier use. Signal is testing a beta version with a little more features.
- Visit the Business Insider home page for more stories.
Signal, the messaging app that prioritizes privacy, is gaining a reputation as WhatsApp’s main competitor.
The app saw a 4200% increase in user downloads this week, after WhatsApp announced that users would have to start providing some data to its parent company, Facebook.
The two messaging apps have a few things in common. Unlike normal SMS messages and others sent over the cellular network, Signal and WhatsApp use end-to-end encryption, which hides the messages in case someone intercepts the chat or finds them on a server. The two rival apps allow users to chat for free via Wi-Fi networks or cellular data, making them popular for international communication.
But the two applications differ significantly in ownership, views on security and ease of use. Signal is owned by a relatively new non-profit organization and places great emphasis on security, while WhatsApp operated by Facebook tends to be easier to use.
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Here is an analysis of the main differences between the two encrypted messaging platforms to help you decide which one to use. Facebook and Signal were not immediately available for comment.
Property
Who owns WhatsApp?
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg
Kim Kulish / Corbis via Getty Images
The root of some users’ frustration with WhatsApp comes from the business owner.
In 2014, Facebook bought WhatsApp, co-founded by Brian Acton and Jan Koum, for $ 22 billion.
Data breaches have plagued Facebook users for years. Facebook announced a major hack in 2018 that impacted 50 million accounts. Facebook employees were aware of the flaws in the security of the platform’s user accounts as early as December 2017, according to a Telegraph report.
During the Cambridge Analytica privacy scandal, Facebook said that up to 87 million people could have their data accessed.
Koum left Facebook in 2018, and Acton injected $ 50 million of his own money into rival encrypted chat app Signal.
Who is the owner of Signal?
Signal, on the other hand, is operated by the Signal Foundation, on a nonprofit basis. Acton and Signal CEO Moxie Marlinspike co-founded the Signal Foundation in February 2018.
According to the Signal Foundation website, Acton left after the acquisition of Facebook “due to differences around the use of customer data and targeted advertising”. The executive donated $ 50 million to start the Signal Foundation and is now on the organization’s board.
Signal never obtained VC financing or sought investment, according to Marlinspike.
“Signal’s project is basically to make technology normal, to make it look what it looks like on the surface, where data is not being shared with other entities,” Marlinspike told Business Insider in 2020.
Meredith Whittaker is the third board member of the Signal Foundation. She is a former Google engineer who led the company’s work organization effort and now defends technology workers.
Safety
How secure is WhatsApp?
Facebook cannot access chats due to end-to-end encryption, but the company can take user data.
Facebook has access to WhatsApp users’ phone numbers, IP addresses, mobile network, messenger usage time, payment data, cookies and location data, according to WIRED.
Some users have chosen not to allow Facebook to access personal data in 2016. But WhatsApp said that if all users do not agree to share information by February 8, they will lose access to the application.
Insider’s Rob Price reported that external apps can track the online activity of WhatsApp users, including who they are talking to, when they are using the app and even when they are sleeping.
How secure is Signal?
Signal states that it does not obtain messages from users, groups, contacts or profile information. The only two pieces of information that Signal collects are how long users have installed it and the last date it was installed.
The company also opens the source code for all of its software, which means that the public can see how the technology was made to inspect the code on their own.
Signal received a vote of confidence from many security experts, including Edward Snowden. Vice and The Intercept journalists recommend using Signal on WhatsApp to ensure your messages remain private.
—Edward Snowden (@Snowden) November 2, 2015
The messenger is not perfect. Security experts have warned that a new feature that allows users to recover data using a PIN may compromise privacy. “The problem with this is that most people choose weak PIN codes. To strengthen this and make the system more secure, Signal has a system that uses Intel SGX enclaves on its server,” said cryptographer Johns Hopkins, Matthew Green, Vice.
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User interface
Is WhatsApp easy to use?
WhatsApp attracts its more than two billion users with its ease and flexibility of use.
The app is available on iOS and Android devices and automatically syncs your phone’s contact list, once users are identified by their cell phone numbers.
Users can form group chats, make voice and video calls and make free international calls using Wi-Fi. Users can share their location, documents and files with others. WhatsApp also allows you to add a PIN to set up 2-step verification before accessing the app.
Make video and audio calls on WhatsApp for free.
Whatsapp
Insider also reported tricks that WhatsApp users can add to make their experience more seamless. Users can mark messages as unread and pin important messages in the chat, features that are not available in Signal.
Is Signal easy to use?
Signal has less customizable features than WhatsApp.
The application is available for iOS, Android and desktop. Users can send photos, videos, links and other files to each other. Like WhatsApp, users can set messages and photos to disappear over time.
Users can set up audio and video calls, as well as form groups of up to 150 people.
The beta version of Signal, however, has more to offer users than the standard app. The beta version allows chat rooms that can designate administrators and send invitations to your group.