Acquisition of WhatsApp by Facebook didn’t go well with many of the users as later don’t have a good reputation in terms privacy. However, it regained the trust by adding an end to end encryption. The feature makes your communication secure enough. Still, if you are looking for app other than WhatsApp to communicate in a secure way, here are the options.
Wickr
It is a very secure messaging app with the ability to delete the messages automatically. It transfers control of mobile messaging from the receiver to the sender and gives you the freedom to choose how long your message sticks around. Wickr keeps conversations private by using peer-to-peer encryption, which does not rely on centralized private decryption methods.
Instead, both users ID and device undergo multiple rounds of salted cryptographic. All data is encrypted using AES256 in transit and when stored on your device. And both messages and media are “forensically wiped” from your device after they expire. You can even set messages to self-destruct a few seconds after the recipient reads them. It has a patented digital security bubble that makes sure nobody can snoop on your conversations, and nobody can access your stuff.
Wickr claims to be trusted by “world leaders, executives, journalists, human rights activists and many. Reports say members of the Australian Government are using the app to keep their mobile conversations confidential. The app is also endorsed by a range of “the most respected organizations in the world,” including iSEC Partners and Aspect Security.
The app offers 4,096-bit RSA encryption, an extremely secure protocol. This actually exceeds the NSA Suite B Compliance guidelines that mean it’s compliant with top-secret communication guidelines. It also deletes all meta-data from your messages, like date, time, location, and device information.
Signal
Signal is pretty much the holy grail of encrypted messaging apps. It’s free, easy to use, and most importantly, its design and encryption protocol makes it the most secure messaging app on the market. The app syncs with your address book and allows you to instantly call or message anyone else who also has the Signal app.
The creator of Signal, a cryptographer named Moxie Marlinspike, developed the Signal encryption protocol which has got universal praise from computer security experts. With additional endorsements from Edward Snowden, Laura Poitras, and Bruce Schneier, you can absolutely trust Signal to safeguard your privacy.
Threema
This is a Swiss instant messaging app running on iOS, Android, and Windows Phone. Its name is derived from EEEMA (end-to-end encrypting messaging application). Last summer, the app had 3.5 million users, most of them located in German-speaking countries. Threema provides true end-to-end encryption; your message is encrypted right on your device, and only the receiver’s device can decrypt it. The decryption key can’t be accessed by the company’s servers.
On the technical, it relies on the open source NaCl library for encryption. NaClis an abbreviation for “Networking and Cryptography library”, a software library that can be used to integrate encryption. It is a paid app and costs $2.99 which is not a high amount for an app as secured as Threema.
