Use a secure messaging app
From TCU Wiki
Recommendation: Use Signal
If you are trying to decide between using Signal, WhatsApp or Telegram, most sources would say that Signal has a better reputation for security then the others. Here are a few reasons to choose Signal (source: The Best Secure Messaging Apps for 2024 PC Mag)
- All of your messages are secured with E2EE and Signal is a nonprofit, so there's no reason to harvest any user data.
- The underlying technology of Signal is so successful it has been implemented by Google and Meta.
Reasons to avoid using WhatsApp
- Requires phone number and contacts list to function
- Backups (especially iCloud) may be vulnerable to surveillance
- Some users may not trust Meta to protect their privacy
- Privacy of content is questionable
- Hackers can break WhatsApp by tricking users into giving away verification codes, using spyware, sending malware as attachments, or even cloning your phone or WhatsApp account. (Source: BitDefender blog)
- Unofficial versions of WhatsApp are almost indistinguishable from the real version of WhatsApp. Unofficial versions of WhatsApp are insecure and compromise the privacy and security of communication. Having one person using an unofficial version of WhatsApp within a group makes all group communications vulnerable. Here's how to know if you are using the official WhatsApp program.
Online courses
Totem course on Secure messaging apps (available in EN, FR, ES, RU)
You should walk away from this course knowing
- What secure messaging actually is
- How to choose which secure messaging app is the best for you
- How to activate security measures, including:
- End-to-end encryption
- Disappearing messages
