Tete-a-Tete: 8 Instant Messengers for Private Correspondence
Even seemingly harmless correspondence can bring a lot of trouble if it falls into the wrong hands. Burglars can rob an apartment after learning that the owners are on vacation. Information from private messages is used by hackers to gain information or blackmail their victims. Out of context, a joke can cost your reputation and career. We have collected eight of the most interesting secure messaging apps.
Signal
Business owners or people who are concerned about their privacy will find a lot of useful things in this messenger. Advantages:
- sending photos and videos that disappear a couple of seconds after reading;
- checking and confirming the user’s contacts so that everyone always knows for sure that they are texting with this person, and not a fraudster.
Wire
The messenger was created for corporate clients, but it can also be used for personal purposes. Advantages:
- the ability to register without a phone number, by email;
- can send photos, gifs, audio messages and other files;
- the application is regularly independently tested for vulnerabilities.
Threema
This messenger is multi-platform, and it fully meets many of the security requirements of messengers. Advantages:
- anonymous registration;
- the ability to set a PIN for a separate chat.
Element
Users can connect to any of the many servers created by other users or deploy their own. Advantages:
- open-source;
- anonymous registration;
- sending messages to other messengers;
- choice of several independent servers and the ability to run your server.
Briar
The app does not rely on a central server – messages are synchronized directly between users’ devices. Advantages:
- anonymous Tor network to protect against eavesdropping;
- synchronization via Bluetooth or Wi-Fi in the absence of an Internet connection;
- blocking screenshots inside the application
Keybase
The application supports many functions not available in other messengers. It boasts the ability to initiate conversations with people around the world without using a phone number or email, using Tor’s anonymity on the command line, using hashtags and mentions tags, creating groups, and other cool features. Additional advantages:
- open-source;
- does not require registration;
- self-destruction of messages by timer.
Silence
The service is designed to exchange encrypted SMS and MMS messages and works without Internet access, but only a mobile network. Advantages:
- decentralized architecture, SMS are sent from phone to phone;
- does not require an Internet connection – useful when roaming or when there is no coverage.
Status
The app is more than just a messenger. Its main advantages:
- every chat is secret;
- there is a synchronization of secret chats, but only incoming messages will be synchronized;
- you can send ETH directly in the chat and create a request to receive it.
All applications on the list use end-to-end encryption, which means that they send encrypted messages that only the recipient can decrypt. Each of these applications has its advantages and unique features.