What is Signal? 7 features that make it a go-to app for private, secure messaging
ZDNETMessaging app Signal is in the news, and not for anything positive. Defense Secretary and former Fox News contributor Pete Hegseth recently demonstrated how not to use a secure communications channel to share sensitive and classified information. A reporter for The Atlantic found himself inadvertently included in a text conversation among senior administration officials discussing plans for military strikes in Yemen. The situation is a major problem for a few key reasons, as described by BBC News. Also: WhatsApp vs. Signal vs. Telegram vs. Facebook: What data do they have about you?However, Signal itself is not to blame. Rather, the onus falls on the government officials who failed to take the proper precautions. In the right hands, Signal can be an effective tool for keeping your chats private and secure. So, what is Signal, and why might you opt to use it instead of another messaging app? Here are seven reasons. 1. End-to-end encryption By default, Signal secures your texts (and your phone calls) with advanced end-to-end encryption. This means that no one, including the Signal Foundation, can read your messages or listen to your calls. For this, Signal uses its own built-in open-source encryption protocol. Not all messaging apps and formats encrypt your texts by default. And when compared with the ones that do, Signal’s protocol is still considered among the best.2. No ads or trackers With Signal, you won’t see any ads or marketing messages, and you won’t be tracked. The Signal Foundation is a non-profit organization focused on privacy and security. This contrasts with other messaging apps such as Facebook Messenger, iMessage, and even WhatsApp, all of which can collect certain metadata about your texts. More