Recently, Whatsapp has suffered backlash due to changes in its privacy policy. Its evident users were not happy as Telegram and Signal witnessed a surge in downloads over the last two weeks.
The situation got so worse Whatsapp had to run ads to make their case. Facebook, the app’s parent firm, was doing some damage control too. Amid the chaos, Telegram and Signal benefitted from the mass flocking of disgruntled users.
So, what’s the best option of the two? If you are someone who values privacy and security then you should consider the end-to-end encrypted (E2EE) communications that Signal offers. The company in charge, the Signal Foundation, couldn’t see your messages even if they wanted to.
On the other hand, Telegram does offer E2EE however, it isn’t enabled by default so you have to switch to secret chats. Otherwise, the company could view your messages if it liked on its servers.
While it seems Signal does have the advantage when it comes to privacy, Telegram offers features that Signal does not. On Telegram, you can start a group chats with up to 200,000 people while on Signal the maximum is 1000.
Additionally, Telegram offers cloud message synchronization which means you can access it on the web and continue your conversations. In Signal, data is backed up locally.
For privacy-priority users, Signal is the better option, while Telegram is better than its former for users interested in features.
Next: WhatsApp clarifies the recent changes it made to its privacy policy
Alfred Gitonga is a passionate tech news writer with a deep interest in smartphones and related technologies. He is a staff writer at Mobitrends.co.ke.
