There seem to be two factions in society (online and offline) when it comes to security. The other side lives by the principle “if you don’t do anything bad, you have nothing to hide”. Both sides are difficult to reconcile and to a certain extent both sides are irreconcilably opposed to each other. This goes so far that one side is often described as hysterical and the other as stupid. Every user and citizen must make the final decision for themselves. However, it is important not to switch messengers out of a purely defensive reflex and perhaps end up jumping from the frying pan into the fire.
Recommended reading:
Amnesty International: 7 REASONS WHY “I HAVE NOTHING TO HIDE” IS THE WRONG REACTION TO MASS SURVEILLANCE
1) Authorities want to read Facebook and co:
As users migrate to private channels (e.g. various messengers – known as dark social), more and more authorities and intelligence agencies are becoming aware of these channels.
https://twitter.com/Snowden/status/1179857507281494017
https://t3n.de/news/hintertueren-messengern-usa-1202975/
2) Alternative Telegram?
The free messenger ‘Telegram’ is often seen as an alternative. But this messenger should also be used with caution. On the one hand, security authorities read directly and have already brought chats into court proceedings and on the other hand, the company construct behind Telegram (no imprint, no company headquarters) is unknown.
https://www.basicthinking.de/blog/2019/08/27/whatsapp-alternative-telegram/
https://steigerlegal.ch/2018/09/11/telegram-datenschutzerklaerung/
https://www.sueddeutsche.de/politik/ueberwachung-geheime-mitleser-1.3417816
https://www.gruenderszene.de/allgemein/telegram-berlin-oder-nicht
3) Alternative Signal?
The messenger Signal – even recommended by Edward Snowden – unfortunately also has gaps.
https://twitter.com/JohannesLenz/status/1180572743743488000
In addition, Signal’s servers are located in the USA and are therefore subject to American laws.
Other alternatives?!
There are of course what feels like 100 other messengers. However, these hardly achieve a significant market share. The current magnetic effect of ‘Facebook Inc.’ with all its Messenger variants and apps is too great. MessengerPeople has compiled very good statistics on all popular messengers in Germany.
Personal comment:
The Swiss app Threema is often mentioned as the safest/most secure option. However, I would like to mention at this point that I don’t have the expertise to analyze the app or the programming code. Here I can only rely on what is written in articles and sources. Threema’s non-open source code is often cited as a point of criticism.
Bonus:
How to download “cheaper” or even free paid apps – such as Threema – is described in this article. Warning: The tricks are legal, but require some work and patience. http://bit.ly/2KHIzS2
