With around 1.9 billion users in 2019 and approximately 60 billion messages being sent per day, WhatsApp is the most preferred chat platform in the world. WhatsApp lets you send images, voice messages, video files, and text messages. Also, one can freely make video calls as well as voice calls. It is suitable for multi-platforms, whether it is a desktop or smartphone, thus the data will be accessible on all platforms.
With the acquisition of WhatsApp by Facebook, it has always been surrounded by controversies. The privacy policy is being the most highlighted conflicting issue faced by WhatsApp. Users are afraid that their sensitive data like device ID, operating system, signal strength, browser info, language, IP address, email address, advertising data, user ID, hardware model, battery level, app version, mobile network, time zone, phone number, contacts, and payment information.
Now, most businesses are thinking to get away with WhatsApp, by switching to other apps. Here are the top five platforms that can be used in place of WhatsApp.
WhatsApp’s Security Loopholes
WhatsApp promises end-to-end encryption – a great security feature. However, there are several loopholes that the company needs to address.
Its legal disclaimer states, “As part of the Facebook family of companies, WhatsApp receives information from, and shares information with, this family of companies. We may use the information we receive from them, and they may use the information we share with them, to help operate, provide, improve, understand, customize, support, and market our Services and their offerings.”
“Facebook and the other companies in the Facebook family also may use information from us to improve your experiences within their services such as making product suggestions.”
“We do not retain our users’ messages in the ordinary course of providing our Services. We do, however, host our users’ account information, including our users’ profile picture, profile name, or status message, if they decide to include them as part of their account information.”
In short, this means that while your messages are probably secure, WhatsApp stores user data on private servers. The company can use this information for marketing purposes.
What’s more, the data stored on their servers can be given to the government in case of an “out-of-ordinary” event. Hackers can also break into WhatsApp servers and gain access to the phone numbers and account details of users.
1. SIGNAL
Just after the announcement of the privacy policy by WhatsApp, the Signal app has been in limelight and recommended by everyone as the next best alternative. This is a free messenger platform that provides secure end-to-end encrypted voice, video, and text chats. Along with this, there is a secure transfer of photos and files. Currently, it is considered the most secure messaging channel present.
Unlike WhatsApp, the Signal app records as little as possible data on servers, like:
– The time and date you joined the service.
– Your contact number
– The dated user last logged in
Signal mobile app can be downloaded for free on iOS and Android devices. Moreover, it has desktop versions for Linux machines, Windows, and Mac OS.
Ranking: 4.8/5
2. THREEMA APP
The Threema App is a powerful and mature messaging application that never attracted a mass audience. One of its reasons could be that this messaging app is not for free. You need to spend $2.99 to buy and install it directly from its site.
Since there are very few users of the Threema app around the world, thus it is certainly not very popular to get recognized. However, as far as safety issues are concerned then it is the best alternative for WhatsApp.
Few features of the Threema app:
– It can be used anonymously.
– The user is identified as a randomly-generated ID, by default.
– This ID is never linked to any user-identifiable data. Anyway, Threema never logs anything.
– Strong end-trend encryption allows only the intended recipient to read it.
– Regular auditing of code ensures the safety of anonymous ID.
Like other apps, this is also available for iOS, Android, and desktop devices.
Ranking: 4.6/5
3. TELEGRAM
Telegram is a competitive app that offers the same services as WhatsApp and with a massive user base. This app is already popular and actively used by many people. Since this app is cloud-based, you can use it on multiple devices at the same time.
The data gathered on Telegram is lesser than that by WhatsApp, and none of it is shared with Facebook. Anyway, server-side encryption is used to store group and private chats on the server. Nevertheless, there is no default encryption enabled by the Telegram app. Hence, secret chats are used mostly for private communications.
Ranking: 4.5/5
4. WIRE
This is a corporate collaboration suite with the safest group chat capabilities, secure messaging, file-sharing, and much more. It provides Wire Personal, as a competitive replacement for WhatsApp. Wire Personal is an end-to-end encrypted and open-source software that is available for completely free usage.
The Wire does log some data, but not in the same manner and degree as WhatsApp. A phone number or email address is required to generate the account. A disposable email address is a much more private way to get registered than using a phone number.
Currently, it has a very less user base. Even after being a free app for personal use, it may not be adopted for longer-term as per the limited popularity.
Ranking: 4.4/5
5. WIRE Riot.IM
It supports VoIP and video calling, as well as end-to-end encryption for messages. Every user receives a unique ID; this ID is used instead of a phone number, helping protect your anonymity.
Riot works on open-source software. While it has its own bots, developers are welcome to create their own. This lets users interact with the software, making it more versatile and secure. Its open source features make Riot more suited for developer teams than corporate groups.
Riot has conversation rooms and users can visit any public chat room. It also offers private rooms you can visit with a link.
In addition, the desktop client has a clean and friendly interface and the app is available in seven languages. It also lets you connect to other applications.
Ranking: 4.2/5
If you want to ensure your private messages stay private, you might want to ditch WhatsApp and find an alternative. The apps suggested above are known for their strong encryption.
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