Why you shouldn't use WhatsApp

Why you won't find me on WhatsApp and why you shouldn't use it yourself? For one simple reason: there's a better alternative called Signal. That's it. I could probably stop here and call it a day.

However, for those of you who need a little more persuasion I've got a few more reasons to switch.

  1. Signal is a non-profit and it's been around for many years now. Thus, you can safely assume that it will be here for many years to come. In other words, it's a stable platform that won't leave you stranded.
  2. As opposed to WA, Signal is open source and its end-to-end encryption is a gold standard in the industry.
  3. Signal doesn't really collect metadata.
  4. Signal does not offer a cloud backup, which is actually a good thing. WA nags users to enable backups that are often unencrypted. This, in my opinion, undermines the whole idea of E2E encrypted messaging.
  5. Coming back to point 1, Signal doesn't have any incentive to collect your data as it's funded by its users. I gladly donate to the project each month and I'd like to encourage you to do the same. This way we can keep Signal independent from Big Tech.

I think these reasons alone should be enough to try out Signal. Obviously it's not the only secure messenger out there. But it's one of the most user-friendly options available atm. The more people who sign up, the better off we'll be as a society.

Reply to this on the fediverse: @michal@101010.pl