It’s time for signal

Imagesource: Bloomberge

Signal is encrypted messaging service developed by the Signal Foundation and Signal Messenger LLC . It is available on all major platform android , ios ,windows and linux .

Signal an open-source software application that uses end-to-end encryption for messages and media shared between users. You can make video and audio calls on Signal. You can also send links, photos, and videos etc .

But why everyone is switching to signal ?

There are two main reason :

➤ Signal is one of the most secure , private , encrypted , recommended messaging app among all .

➤ WhatsApp New Privacy Policy which enable data sharing with facebook , third-party business, service providers .

• Your phone number that you used to create an account
• Your profile picture and profile information
• The phone numbers of your WhatsApp contacts
• Transaction and payments data
• Location information
• Information about your device such as the model, operating system, and mobile network
• Other information, including your IP address, device operations information, and identifiers.

All these metadata or data of whatsapp is shared with Facebook and other third party services .

By agreeing with new terms and policy you will be agreeing to Facebook and its subsidiaries having access to your data of whatsapp .

New privacy policy will come into effect from May 15 2021 . If you don’t accept these policies till 15 may 2021 then you will not able to use the app. This is reason everyone is looking for whatsapp alternatives .

Most Dominating app in terms of privacy and security is SIGNAL.

This is a reason everyone is switching to signal from Whatsapp .

Even Mark Zuckerberg is present on signal , Yep you heard right .A security researcher Dave Walker has revealed that Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg uses Signal app.

Problem with accepting new policies

The problem is Facebook is becoming more and more powerful day by day .Facebook is collecting users data from many sources as possible .Facebook not only collect it track,manipulate everyone everywhere .Facebook–Cambridge Analytica scandle , data breach , selling user data to third parties many more such activities are done by facebook in history .Recently 533 million Facebook users’ phone numbers and personal data have been leaked online including Mark Zuckerberg details like name, birth date, location, marriage details, and Facebook user ID & phone number .

“ Facebook is not your friend, it is a surveillance engine ” ~ Richard Stallman

Image Source : FOBES

Reason to use Signal

➤Signal is a completely open source, free, secure, and private instant messaging platform.

➤ Signal is cross-platform and doesn’t collect your data .

➤Signal is open-source and a nonprofit .

➤ Signal provide end-to-end encryption for text, voice messages , audio ,vedio calls as well . Signal, or anybody else, can’t see what’s in your messages.

➤Signal have many security and privacy related features like screen security , Self-Destructing message after certain time ,Screen Lock PIN and many more .

Signal is so secure that Edward Sonwden personally uses SIGNAL . Not only Edward snowden many journalist,security expert ,famous personality, twitter CEO Jack Dorsey , Elon musk and many more uses signal and endrose other to use signal .

Source : signal.org

After new whatsapp privacy policy , Many people all over world are switching to signal . Signal is becoming most downloaded app in many courtries like India , Caneda, Germany, France, Switzerland, Austria Finland and many more .

Intresting story of Brian Acton

• Brain Acton Co-founded WhatsApp with Jan Koum in 2009 . In 2014, Koum and Acton agreed to sell WhatsApp to Facebook for approximately US$19 billion in cash and stock.
• In September 2017, Acton announce to leave Facebook because of dispute with Facebook regarding monetization of WhatsApp .
• In February 2018 , Acton started new foundation ,the Signal Foundation, with security engineer Moxie Marlinspike . which is dedicated to helping people have access to private communication through an encrypted messaging app and invested $50 million into Signal .

• On March 20 2018, Acton had publicly tweeted support for the #DeleteFacebook movement .
• Now Acton is executive chairman of the Signal Foundation .
• The aim of Brian Acton and Signal Foundation is develop “ open source privacy technology that protects free expression and enables secure global communication.”

Conclusion

In order to protect our data from these tech gaint we should start using FOSS(Free and open source software) to protect our data and support FOSS and GNU .

Signal is also one of them , it’s free and open source software .

“Free software is software that respects your freedom and the social solidarity of your community. So it’s free as in freedom.” ~ Richard Stallman