The scare is delayed, but it will come: WhatsApp intends to force its users to share data with Facebook, its owner, to use it for the rest of its services and purposes.
However, citizens of the European Union can breathe easy, since this new measure does not affect them as they are covered by the umbrella of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR, for its acronym in English).
This announcement by Facebook did not catch anyone by surprise, since this decision was already advanced last year;
the novelty now resides in that either the conditions are accepted, or the use of the tool is prevented.
Are there safe alternatives over which the threat of privacy breach does not hang?
We go through five applications whose business does not compromise user privacy.
Telegram, the great alternative (although not so safe)
The controversial change in WhatsApp privacy policies has caused a considerable leakage of users to other platforms, and the one that has made the most of these suspicions has been Telegram: the company has announced the arrival of 25 million users in just 72 hours (to from the announcement).
In Spain, this tool is an old acquaintance, since it has an important user base and has developed this growth, always going one step ahead of WhatsApp in terms of functions.
The platform was ahead of the Facebook application by offering the precious
stickers
(stickers) in conversations, but where Telegram really shines in groups, where real communities very similar to forums are created, and in which users are organized not only sharing common interests, but to carry out common tasks such as the transfer of patients in Madrid in the midst of the storm Filomena.
With more features, more willing to listen to its users and not belonging to any company that can potentially exploit user data. Why doesn't everyone use Telegram?
One possible answer is found in the popular saying, "who hits first, hits twice."
WhatsApp was the first real alternative to SMS and managed to accumulate such a high number of users in certain markets that it has become a standard platform.
But those who decide to use this app because they consider it more secure, should bear something in mind: end-to-end encryption is not available in their chats (except for secrets), so that, on paper, Telegram is less secure than WhatsApp.
Signal, the open source app recommended by Elon Musk
The Signal Foundation has also posted the
sold-out
sign
after the privacy policy change: in a tweet the company announces that due to the avalanche of new users, they cannot cope with the provision of verification codes in their app, Signal.
Why choose Signal?
This application was conceived from its origins with privacy as the main focus, and so much so that Elon Musk himself (founder of Tesla) openly recommended its use to his followers on Twitter.
This application offers the maximum guarantees of privacy and, of course, end-to-end encryption.
With regard to performance, Signal offers the same as its rivals, although under a slightly more sparse and simplistic interface that denotes that the fundamental objective of this platform is private communication and away from the eyes of third parties.
Free for life, not-for-profit, and designed with safety in mind. Does this app have a weak link?
Some point the accusing finger at its encryption, Open Signal, "financed by the US Government", as highlighted by Manu Contreras, blogger and disseminator on cybersecurity, an accusation already made at the time by Pavel Durov, founder of Telegram.
The circumstance also occurs that Facebook messaging applications (WhatsApp and Messenger) use the same encryption, and being their servers in the United States and under the jurisdiction of that country, those who feed these suspicions have their arguments.
This Friday, the application has experienced problems in its service.
Threema, the Swiss battleship
Those who are obsessed with privacy and want the maximum guarantees of knowing that their conversations and chats are out of the reach of third parties, have a good refuge in Threema.
The history of this application of German origin is completely different from that of its rivals: it is not free, and this can generate a certain rejection of why pay for something that is free, but, at the same time, it gives the user certain peace of mind knowing that there is a sustainable business model.
The company finances the product in two ways: you have to make a single payment for downloading the mobile application, on the one hand, and on the other, they have a secure platform for companies to pay by subscription.
Setting a price for simply downloading the app places it before its main drawback: it has a ridiculous number of users when compared to its rivals.
Although there are no official figures, it is estimated that its number of users is around 8 million and highly concentrated in Germany, a country where in 2014 it was the most downloaded payment application due to a high awareness at the time for privacy.
With a very low user base and being paid, Threema can become a good alternative for closed groups of users, such as family or friends, who have, of course, a clear awareness of privacy.
This application constantly passes audits to analyze its security and both its servers and the applicable jurisdiction are located in Switzerland, far from the reach of the US and European authorities.
In Spain, the change in WhatsApp's privacy policy has catapulted Threema as the third most downloaded payment application on the iPhone.
What to consider when choosing a messaging app
The jug of cold water caused by the change in WhatsApp's privacy policy has motivated a transfer of users of said platform to not so invasive alternatives in which data protection is concerned.
“It is normal for some users to consider a change of platforms”, Ángel Ortiz, Regional Director of McAfee in Spain, explains to EL PAíS, “as connectivity continues to grow day by day, users must assume that their privacy and identity live in several of the applications they use to communicate ”.
Although this new privacy policy does not affect the citizens of the European Union, this expert warns that “more and more convergences of this type are seen in large technology companies, which may lead to other business developments in the future since these terms change ”.
So what must be taken into account when using a messaging application?
Ortiz recommends taking into account three key aspects: reading and understanding the privacy policy and knowing what data the app shares with third parties, reviews of the permissions that are granted when the application is installed on the mobile, and finally, making sure that it has end-to-end encryption, a way of ensuring that “only sender and receiver have access to messages”.
