10
What chat app do you recommend? DeMETAing
(lemmy.world)
Signal for those who have it and SMS for everyone else
Another vote for signal
Would rather use WhatsApp then SMS. Its much more secure and private and doesn't cost money. Although if RCS is an option it could be used instead of SMS or WhatsApp.
How private can WhatsApp be if Meta owns it?
SMS are not encrypted, messages in whatsapp are, in some way
If you trust Meta not to snoop, which I dont
See my post above: WhatsApp backups are unencrypted by default to Google/Apple servers. But at least you have options to make it more secure.
So all in all, would you say my messages are more likely to be captured by Meta when using WhatsApp, or SMS? I ask in good faith. I am aware SMS isn't secure, but at least it isn't literally hosted by Meta... So if Meta was my main concern for my threat model would you still recommend WhatsApp?
No, but don't use SMS either. Meta Apps have the permission to access SMS.
Well I don't use any Meta apps.
But I have to use SMS for certain people
if RCS is an option it could be used
Generally when people say "I use SMS" they mean "SMS, MMS, and RCS".
There is a big difference tho.
Sure, but colloquially that's how I is used. People have apps that send "SMS" and they call anything it sends "SMS". People don't make conscious decisions on which to use of the three, it's automatic.
Signal, mostly because I value my privacy though.
I'm self hosting a Matrix-server (Synapse + Element) plus a few bridges to Signal, Whatsapp etc. Works great!
Signal. It's in the perfect middle ground of security and usability. Security enthusiasts will tell you it isn't good enough. It's fine, and it's certainly better than Facebook Messenger.
I feel like Delta Chat should be mentioned here as a secure, decentralized and pretty awesome alternative.
It also allows to communicate with non-delta chat users via email through the same chat interface
It also allows to communicate with non-delta chat users via email through the same chat interface
That's a disadvantage. Messengers should only allow secure encrypted chats!
Kind of a fair point though I think users should be able to make that choice for themselves. If they do not want that, they can just not use it - the app clearly shows whether chats are encrypted or not and I'm pretty sure you could also disable the plain-email feature.
Snikket.org Open Source, real End-to-end encryption (OMEMO), and you can use other clients if you don't like theirs. You can also self-host.
When I quit meta, I wanted people to use signal, but my dad refused to move to another app. We just talk via sms now. My wife and her family overseas are on Line, which is kind of like a Japanese whatsapp (maybe closer to WeChat). It has e2e encryption but it could be the same story with WhatsApp where you don't really know if they're reading your messages or not
I use Signal, and I’ve read that Session and Teleguard are also good alternatives.
Telegram is not a good alternative at all unless you are looking for socia media experience. I am they will get ads to eventually. It Russian corporate slop, same as American but with a different daddy in charge
this post was submitted on 16 Jun 2025
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