Why Signal is fast emerging as a smarter alternative to WhatsApp
Here’s all you need to know about the messaging app the world is abuzz with
We tried it. Signal is emerging as a smarter alternative to WhatsApp. First, ease of use. Just download, sign- up ( using your phone number) and start connecting with friends, family, colleagues.
Here’s what we found: The audio and video signal in Signal is much clearer. So Signal ( as well as Telegram) have emerged as two of the top replacements for WhatsApp. People are reportedly leaving WhatsApp because Facebook, its owner, has updated its terms of use and privacy policy, causing a global outrage among privacy- conscious users. Many have declared their intention to delete WhatsApp and switch over. This may not happen overnight — if at all — knowing there are 2 billion WhatsApp users, though. Here are our quick takes:
What is Signal?
Signal is a messenger app that has gained momentum following the outrage over WhatsApp’s updated privacy policy. Signal has a razor- sharp focus on privacy.
Is it a free app?
Yes.
Does Signal support video group chats?
Yes. It supports group chats and group video calls too.
Is Signal safe?
Famous hacker and whistleblower Edward Snowden uses — and endorses — Signal. He’s not the only one. CEOs like Elon Musk ( who started as a coder himself) and Twitter boss Jack Dorsey also recommend Signal. And here’s one crazy bit. Signal is “open source”. That means its code is peer- reviewed, which means that its privacy and security is regularly checked by independent experts.
Is Signal then better than WhatsApp?
In terms of privacy features, it is. However, if you care about app features and since the whole world is currently using WhatsApp, there’s no doubt WhatsApp is ahead. If only a few people use Signal, or any messenger app, no matter how good it is, what’s the point? It’s supposed to connect people. If your social circle is on WhatsApp, no whiz- bang features that Signal, or any other app, has would add value to your life.
How can I download Signal?
Go to AppStore and Google Play and search for the app. The Signal app is available on numerous platforms — including Android, iOS, Windows, Mac, and Linux.
Can I use it on my iPad, tablet, and desktop?
Yes. Once you have set up an account, you can link Signal to your iPad or your computer, and use the app even if your phone is switched off.
How can I use Signal on desktop/ laptop?
Register your phone number by verifying it to take your account live. Go to signal. org. You’ll see the option of Signal for Desktop where you further have the option between Windows and Mac.
How much did Signal grow?
Signal does not share growth metrics. In late 2016, Signal’s creator Moxie Marlinspike claimed the number of daily downloads had grown by 400 per cent per cent following the election of Donald Trump. In recent days, from January 6 to January 10, Signal saw 7.5 million installs globally ( 2.3 million installs in India) from App Store and Google Play — a 4,200 per cent jump, according to Business Insider.
What about Signal on desktop?
WhatsApp is still miles ahead in this area. With Signal, you have to actually download the app on your Mac or PC. With WhatsApp, it’s just a matter of typing web. whatsapp. com, scan the QR code from your phone and you’re good to go. If you know of a way to
You can never get rid of cryptography. Sets of equations are everywhere. There’s no way for everyone in the world to unsee that, or to unknow it.”
Moxie Marlinspike | Creator of Signal Messenger
make Signal work the same way, give us a shout.
Is it true that Signal, given its encryption system, is the preferred tool of anarchists, sex predators, rebels, non- conformists?
Not really. In 2015, Marlinspike worked closely with Brian Acton ( WhatsApp co- founder) on implementing an encryption system called Signal Protocol in WhatsApp. So today, Signal’s encryption system is used by 2 billion people on WhatsApp. Does that make them all fall under these categories? Encryptedcommunication tools have become increasingly valuable given the spate of personal and financial data theft, among others. If drug dealers and bad guys use money or crypto- currencies, does that make money/ cryptos the root of all evil?
How does Signal make money?
Via donations. Signal, as a nonprofit, is an outlier in the tech industry. It runs entirely on doles.
Why Marlinspike values privacy?
Marlinspike is a bit of an enigma. He shies away from talking about his personal life. These include basic biographical facts: age, home town, birth name.
“He spent much of his youth immersed in anarchist literature and communities, and anarchism’s inherent critique of authority is still important to him,” Wired wrote in 2016.
What is open- source code?
It doesn’t mean that the full code of Signal is open for everyone to see. But the code base is open- source — available for anyone to download and comment on — and subject to peer review. Some people note that strong encryption could preclude content moderation, potentially allowing disinformation, hate speech, propaganda, harassment, and incitements of violence to flourish.
What’s the debate over encryption?
Advocates of end- to- end encryption argue that any backdoor into an otherwise secure system will immediately become a target for foreign adversaries, terrorists, and hackers. But critics claim that end- to- end encryption could shield terrorist plots, child sexual exploitation, and other criminal activities.
What does end- to- end encryption mean?
It’s a system whereby the content of every communication — a text message, a video chat, a voice call, an emoji reaction — is understandable only to
Famous hacker and whistleblower Edward Snowden uses — and endorses — Signal. CEOs like Elon Musk and Twitter boss Jack Dorsey also recommend Signal.
the sender and the recipient. If an exchange is intercepted ( say, by a hacker), only a nonsensical snarl of letters and numbers are seen.
How does Signal’s end- toend encryption system work? Signal claims the following:
■ Signal itself cannot read the messages that users send.
■ The app does not collect user “metadata”.
■ It keeps no call logs or data backups.
■ Signal’s mission is to make end- to- end encryption as ubiquitous as possible, rather than a commercial success.
Is it true that WhatsApp is also using Signal’s encryption?
Yes, it’s true. Signal’s end- toend encryption is so trusted that WhatsApp also adopted it. You can also enable additional security features such as requiring a second password ( other than the OTP) to log in to Signal on new devices, biometric authentication, etc.
What would it take to get rid of Signal, or cryptography itself?
Get rid of the internet. Unless that happens, it would be mathematically and practically impossible, given the reported migration to Signal by legions of WhatsApp users. If anything, this would only heighten competition for the best, safest messenger. Cryptography and the internet — a creature designed to withstand a nuclear war — are so tightly interwoven today, that virtual private networks ( VPNs) and Bitcoin are just some of its uses. They’re growing in importance. Privacy is important, so any digital solution to protect everyone’s privacy would be valuable. “You can never get rid of cryptography,” Marlinspike once said. “Sets of equations are everywhere. There’s no way for everyone in the world to unsee that, or to unknow it.”
You might have missed the message that popped up on your screen as you signed into WhatsApp recently — or you might simply have checked ‘ OK’ to the changes to its terms and conditions — but there are repercussions now to the amendments proposed byWhatsApp.
By February 8, unless you accept those updated terms and conditions, you may be shut out of the messaging service that is enjoyed by more than a billion users the world over. It’s by far the world’s most popular messaging system, had some 78 million downloads in November, and in India alone more than 400 million use the service and that number grows by the day.
Given these types of numbers, its ease of use and popularity, any change to terms and conditions is significant — this one more so. Because WhatsApp is owned by Facebook — the social media platform purchased it from founders Brian Acton and Jan Koumin 2014 for $ 19 billion ( Dh69.7 billion) — the new changes now mean that your personal data could be sharedwith its parent company.
Given what has happened in recent years to users’ data, how it was collected, farmed and used, there are obvious concerns nowabout this move.
But this also raises a far more basic question about your data and personal details. They are yours and should remain so. Certainly, one of the attractions in signing up to WhatsApp is that it pledged to keep your details private — that they wouldn’t be shared with anyone else. The new terms and conditions raise many questions.
A number of governments and privacy advocates globally have taken issue with Facebook andWhatsApp about this new proposed relationship — and rightly so. We all have a basic right to privacy, regardless of the whims of the owners and merger conditions of these technology companies.
The issue of personal privacy is compounded by the sheer size of Facebook and its reach globally. It is used daily by a billion people, and has more than 2 billion users. Its ability to shape events too is huge, yet it shuns any responsibility for the spread of false information and fake news.
A good first step now towards curbing the power of Facebookwould be for governments and privacy regulators to halt this sharing of information from WhatsApp. Otherwise, the case for breaking up Facebook grows far stronger.