We’re all using chat apps more and more, but which chat apps are encrypted? And what does that even mean? Here’s a handy guide to some of the most popular chat apps and their encryption levels. Read on to learn more!
Which Chat Apps Are Encrypted?
If you’re like most people, you probably use more than one chat app. But have you ever stopped to think about which ones are encrypted? What does this even mean?
Encrypted chat apps are those which are secured using end-to-end encryption. This kind of encryption involves using a private key that’s used to encrypt data so that only the sender and receiver of the encrypted data can read it. This is in contrast to plain text messaging, which is sent in an insecure format, allowing anyone to snoop on it.
So, we’ll be looking at some of the most popular chat apps in use today and the extent to which they use encryption. Remember, the more secure an app is, the more difficult it is for hackers to gain access to your data.
Thus, if you use any of these apps, you’re already well ahead of most people! For now, though, here’s a quick guide on which chat apps are encrypted and how they stack up against each other.
Google Duo
This app uses encryption that isn’t end-to-end. Instead, it’s used to ensure that your video stream isn’t degraded or corrupted while it travels from one device to another. Thus, the only things that are encrypted in Google Duo are the video and the audio stream. Everything else is sent in plain text, which isn’t great!
Telegram
Telegram is yet another app that uses end-to-end encryption. This ensures that everything you send and receive through Telegram is encrypted and private. The company behind Telegram has shown that it takes privacy seriously. This is by refusing to hand over information about its users to the Russian government when faced with a court order.
This is something that no other chat app has been willing to do, so far! So, Telegram is one of the safer chat apps out there today.
WhatsApp offers end-to-end encryption for its messages, but the company itself is unable to decrypt them. Thus, WhatsApp offers end-to-end encryption, but this is not used for all calls. It’s believed that only calls between two WhatsApp users are encrypted with end-to-end encryption.
Calls to landlines or non-WhatsApp users are not! This means that your calls can be snooped on by your internet service provider if you’re calling someone whose number isn’t in your contacts list. But overall, WhatsApp is safe when you know how to fully use its features. That is why more and more people are using this, even companies.
Use Encrypted Chat Apps Today
As you can see, we now live in a world that is full of encryption and privacy. Yes, some apps are better than others when it comes to encryption. But that’s not to say that you should give up on using chat apps altogether! Privacy is a right that we all have, and you should use all the tools available to you to protect that right. So, make sure to use encrypted chat apps today, even if they’re not perfect!
