Trying to Get People to Use Signal

I’m a fan of encryption. I’ve been through IT training, so I know the importance of using a VPN on public Wi-Fi and of scrambling my data as much as possible, because you just never know. Some people are just dicks. Some of those people are your federal government. Just saying.

Apple’s iMessage, for all intents and purposes, is a fairly secure experience. iMessages are end-to-end encrypted, which means the only people seeing that content are you and your recipient. There are two big issues with iMessage, however. First, is that it’s owned by Apple, which might be problematic for some people if they’re simply uneasy with big tech, especially when their CEO is showing up at the dictator-in-chief’s wife’s movie premiere. The other issue with iMessage is that it’s not cross-platform. That’s why you have those green bubbles for Android users.

There are similar stories with all the Meta-owned products, so WhatsApp, Instagram, and Facebook Messenger. All are end-to-end encrypted, supposedly. But, they’re also owned by that douchebag Zuckerberg, and why in the hell are we giving him anything anymore? And I don’t personally trust Snapchat for any kind of security either. Besides, that’s an ugly app (I have a design degree too).

This is why I suggest Signal whenever possible. It’s end-to-end encrypted, it’s cross-platform, has a lot of features you’d find in other apps (including stories and voice calls), and it’s run by a non-profit somewhere in the EU. Did I mention they’re hellbent on encryption and protecting your right to it? If you’re an Android user, you can set it up as your default messaging app and have it be the only thing you use. If the user has a Signal account, everything is encrypted; otherwise, it’ll default to SMS. SMS isn’t encrypted, but at least you’re not bouncing between apps (like us iPhone users).

So just a thought while the world is burning around us because of the authoritarian cockbag in office, start using some more secure options when possible, that are also away from big tech when possible, because you just never know. I don’t know how much we can de-Apple, Google, or Amazon ourselves, but any little steps help. My choice for messaging is Signal.