My opinion on whether you should switch from WhatsApp to Signal
Since this is merely my opinion (not expert opinion), I would like to remind you that I could be objectively wrong and/or biased.
Before reading any further, I urge you to visit the following links and read both WhatsApp’s and Signal’s terms of service and privacy policies and understand them as best as you can:
- https://signal.org/legal/
- https://www.whatsapp.com/legal/updates/privacy-policy
- https://www.whatsapp.com/legal/updates/terms-of-service
I am not going to take a deep dive here but based on what I have read and personal experience, I am going to say Signal is more secure by design, open-source and you can trust Signal Foundation over Facebook (parent companies).
But for everyday use, I would say you can continue using WhatsApp unless you are exchanging highly sensitive information. Not only would I say that you can continue using it, I would also say it is the more convenient option out of the two as of this moment. Yes, WhatsApp is collecting more information but according to WhatsApp our messages are still end-to-end encrypted. If you, like most people use Gmail as their primary email and have active Facebook and other social media accounts you can continue to use WhatsApp. If you are seriously concerned about data collection about you, you should be avoiding all of those services, not just WhatsApp.
Besides, Signal does not provide any option for remote chat backups currently like WhatsApp does (such as in Google Drive) which is obviously more secure but less convenient when you have to restore from backups for new devices:
You also can’t change numbers for your account:
If you are really concerned about your privacy, use Signal. But in my opinion, it is neither absolutely necessary nor convenient for everyday use. At least, not yet. And I don’t think Signal Foundation would or should change their design to cater to the masses. Signal was designed for top-notch security and privacy and it should remain that way which means a compromise in convenience is to be expected.
Telegram? Who still uses Telegram in 2021 (pun intended)?
By the way, I am going to continue using WhatsApp for everyday use. At least, for the time being.
