隐私和安全是现代互联网技术争论的焦点。政府或黑客总是有可能通过您的互联网连接或公共Wi-Fi 热点(Wi-Fi hot spot)监听甚至监视您。当谈到聊天应用程序时，这种恐惧可能以最严重的形式存在。
消息应用程序已成为全球数十亿人的重要交流方式。它们被用于关于杂货店购物的随意讨论，以及关于我们个人生活的高度私密信息。如果您正在寻找提供最多隐私的聊天应用程序，那么这份隐私和安全性最佳聊天应用程序列表应该可以帮助您找到适合您需求的安全应用程序。
是什么让聊天应用程序私密(Chat App Private)且安全(Secure)？
没有完美的网络安全。大多数锁可以通过足够的时间、金钱和技术进步来破解。因此，当我们谈论“安全”的东西时，它意味着它太昂贵或难以尝试破解它。
谈到聊天应用程序时，该软件的一些方面有助于保护您的通信安全。
应用程序(Apps)可以在设备本身上加密您的数据。这是您的手机或其他设备提供的任何设备加密的补充。
接下来，如果您想保证安全，您的应用程序应该只保留数据的本地副本。这意味着即使内容已加密(encrypted)，服务器上也不存在您的实际消息或活动日志的副本！您可能还需要在阅读后永久删除的自毁邮件选项。(self-destructing messages)
并非所有应用程序都提供这些核心安全功能，但所有安全聊天应用程序都应具备的一项功能是端到端加密。这是一种加密您的消息内容的方法，服务提供商无法看到正在说的内容。加密密钥是在聊天参与者的设备上生成的。端到端加密还意味着拦截您聊天的任何人都无法阅读它们。
您可能还想选择开源的聊天应用程序。这意味着任何人都可以检查应用程序的源代码。这使得“后门”几乎不可能隐藏在代码中，这将允许应用程序提供商或政府官员绕过应用程序的安全性。
最重要的是选择具有适合您需求的安全级别的应用程序。
1. WhatsApp（安卓(Android)和iOS）
优点(Pros)
- 几乎每个人都在使用 WhatsApp(Almost everyone is on WhatsApp)
- 易于使用，精心设计(Easy to use, well-designed)
- 媒体共享选项的绝佳选择(Great choice of media sharing options)
- 端到端加密(End-to-end encryption)
缺点(Cons)
- 与 Facebook 母公司共享数据(Shares data with FaceBook parent company)
- 数据收集与您的设备 ID 和身份相关联(Data collection is linked to your device ID and identity)
WhatsApp是全球最受欢迎的聊天应用程序，并且变得如此普遍，以至于企业甚至在其官方页面上列出了WhatsApp号码。(WhatsApp)
WhatsApp易于使用且用途广泛。它为家庭、组织和朋友组提供了预期的文本聊天功能和出色的群聊选项。
您可以在应用程序内共享语音消息并使用文件共享功能。您的电话号码是您与WhatsApp个人资料的唯一链接，您可以从一个界面进行VOIP（IP 语音）通话和视频通话。这些加密的语音通话会消耗数据，但不会消耗通话时间。
WhatsApp具有强大的端到端加密功能，这意味着WhatsApp和您聊天之外的任何人都无法知道所说的内容。但是，有一个问题。自从WhatsApp被Facebook（现为Meta）收购后，其隐私政策已更改(privacy policy has changed)为允许数据收集和与Facebook共享(Facebook)WhatsApp用户。
因此，我们可以将WhatsApp描述为一个安全的消息传递应用程序，但可能不是最私密的应用程序。WhatsApp(WhatsApps)的广受欢迎意味着您可能不得不使用它，但要仔细阅读隐私政策，以确保您对与他们的公司霸主共享的内容感到满意。
2. Facebook Messenger（安卓(Android)和iOS）
优点(Pros)
- 端到端加密（在秘密对话中）(End-to-end Encryption (in Secret Conversations))
- 可选的生物识别安全(Optional biometric security)
- 具有许多时髦功能的时髦聊天环境(Funky chat environment with lots of hip features)
- 庞大的用户群。(Large user base.)
缺点(Cons)
- 必须手动为短信激活加密(Encryption must be activated for text messages manually)
- Facebook 数据共享仍然是一个隐私问题。(Facebook data sharing remains a privacy concern.)
坚持使用Facebook，目前，下一个值得考虑的应用是Facebook Messenger。Messenger是Facebook、Instagram和Portal在撰写本文时使用的消息传递平台。Oculus Quest也将很快推出。
与WhatsApp一样，Messenger提供端到端加密。与WhatsApp不同，您必须使用“秘密对话”选项手动激活该功能。但是，语音(Voice)和视频聊天始终是加密的。
(Messenger)出于与WhatsApp(WhatsApp)相同的原因，Messenger在隐私方面的得分较低。公司正在收集您的一些信息，您应该阅读他们的政策以了解这样做的方式和原因。它在安全性方面的得分也不如WhatsApp，仅仅是因为端到端加密目前是可选的。
3. Apple iMessage（iOS & macOS内置）(Built-in)
优点(Pros)
- 跨 Apple 设备的出色集成(Fantastic integration across your Apple devices)
- 比 SMS 更安全的替代方案(A much more secure alternative to SMS)
缺点(Cons)
- iCloud 备份引入加密漏洞(iCloud backup introduces encryption vulnerabilities)
- 您只能与其他 Apple 用户聊天(You can only chat with other Apple users)
如果您拥有 iPhone、iPad、iPod Touch或Mac，则您的设备上已经安装了 iMessage。这是Apple的内部消息系统，几乎从一开始就受到Apple客户的广泛欢迎。
iMessage 的一大缺点是它只能在Apple设备之间使用，因为这是其端到端加密工作方式不可或缺的一部分。另一个可能严重的问题是，iPhone 等设备的iCloud 备份功能(iCloud backup feature)将设备的加密密钥存储在其服务器上。
从技术上讲，这使得某人通过从备份中获取密钥来解密您的消息成为可能。幸运的是，您可以禁用 iCloud Backup并等待 180 天后删除数据，之后旧密钥无论如何都将无效。仅当您偏执时才这样做，但是您的传输中的消息始终受到保护。
作为一款即时通讯应用，iMessage 具有大量简洁的功能，例如特定消息的屏幕效果、贴纸、拟我表情(Memoji)、动话表情(Animoji)、GIF搜索集成等等。只要您想与之交谈的每个人都是Apple粉丝俱乐部的成员，iMessage 仍然是一款出色的聊天应用程序。
4. Signal Private Messenger ( Android & iOS )
优点(Pros)
- 高度安全(Highly-secure)
- 没有企业利益(No corporate interest)
- 开源代码(Open source code)
缺点(Cons)
- 不像主流的大型聊天应用程序那样精致(Not as polished as mainstream mega chat apps)
- 网络性能并不总是很好(Network performance isn’t always great)
当人们想到加密消息应用程序时，Signal无疑是最先出现的名字之一。那是因为这个应用程序以隐私和安全为中心。这是爱德华·斯诺登(Edward Snowden)使用的应用程序！
Signal可以发送一对一消息、群组消息、共享文件、共享语音笔记、图像、视频以及进行视频和语音通话。这是一个功能齐全的聊天应用程序，具有核心加密和隐私标准。
Signal的缺点是一些用户抱怨消息需要很长时间才能发送，而且服务器性能并不总是很好。
5.电报（安卓(Android)和iOS）
优点(Pros)
- 比 WhatsApp 或 Facebook Messenger 更好的隐私政策(Better privacy policy than WhatsApp or Facebook Messenger)
- 强大的功能，例如未压缩的图像共享(Great features, such as uncompressed image sharing)
- 所有消息在传输过程中都经过加密(All messages are encrypted in transit)
缺点(Cons)
- 端到端加密需要手动激活(End-to-end encryption needs manual activation)
如果Signal是核心隐私消息服务，那么Telegram将是中等核心。它比WhatsApp更注重隐私，但不如Signal不妥协。
总的来说，这是我们喜欢用作安全即时消息世界两端之间的良好中间地带的应用程序。与WhatsApp相比， (WhatsApp)Telegram确实不足的一个领域是端到端加密部门。虽然所有Telegram消息都是加密的，但只有“秘密聊天”是端到端加密的。这样一来，Telegram就像Facebook Messenger一样。
如果您记得将敏感聊天标记为秘密聊天，您将获得两全其美。与社交媒体消息传递应用程序相比，您的隐私不会像企业贪婪那样开放。在我们看来， Telegram(Telegram)还有一个很棒的Windows和 macOS 客户端，它比(Windows)WhatsApp桌面客户端做得更好。
6.Wickr Me（安卓(Android)和iOS）
优点(Pros)
- 独立审计(Independently audited)
- 强大的加密实践(Strong encryption practices)
- 允许在您的密钥被盗时提供前向安全性(Allows for forward-security in case your keys are stolen)
缺点(Cons)
- 闭源(Closed source)
- 中央情报局是投资者(The CIA is an investor)
Wickr成立于 2012 年，是安全消息应用程序的先驱，早在它很酷或很热门之前。它在 iOS 上发布时的主要功能之一是能够设置过期日期，表面上类似于（稍旧的）Snapchat，它会在一天后删除消息。
EFF（电子前沿基金会(Electronic Frontier Foundation)）在 2015 年对Wickr的加密实践给予了很高的评价，它能够在您的密钥被盗时保护过去的通信。Wickr的弱点归结为封闭源代码和技术文档含糊不清。
但是，Wickr尚未发布详细说明其加密协议的白皮书。可能有点令人担忧的是，中央情报局是该公司的投资者(CIA is an investor)。
7. Threema（安卓(Android)和iOS）
优点(Pros)
- 开源(Open-source)
- 从头开始构建为私有和匿名的(Built from the ground up to be private and anonymous)
- 瑞士服务器受法律保护(Swiss servers are legally protected)
缺点(Cons)
- 它不是免费的(It’s not free)
- 有限的用户群(Limited user base)
Threema是少数几个花钱的消息应用程序之一，在人群中脱颖而出。获得该应用程序只需 3.99 美元，但这在移动应用程序世界中是非常昂贵的。
该应用程序本身是开源的，这是一个安全加分点。您支付的钱是您的数据不会被出售的另一种保证，因为您直接为服务提供资金。
Threema基于“设计隐私”原则。一个例子是您不需要提供电话号码或其他一些可识别信息，例如WhatsApp或Telegram。
Threema 的服务器位于瑞士(Switzerland)，这意味着您的数据受益于该国严格的隐私法。从本质上讲，Threema(Essentially Threema)永远不必出于任何原因向外国政府提供用户信息。
8. Skype（安卓(Android)和iOS）
优点(Pros)
- 出色的性能和功能(Great performance and features)
- 庞大的用户群(Massive user base)
- 几乎可在所有平台上使用(Available on almost every platform)
缺点(Cons)
- 逐渐被微软团队淘汰(Slowly being phased out in favor of Microsoft Teams)
- 端到端加密需要手动激活(End-to-end encryption requires manual activation)
Skype是另一个由(Skype)Microsoft形式的大型软件公司支持的超级流行的聊天应用程序。该软件已经存在多年，在这一点上，它的功能非常丰富，包括拨打普通电话号码的能力。当然，要付出代价！只需(Just)从您的联系人列表中选择某人，选择您的沟通方式并开始聊天即可。
Skype 与其他微软(Microsoft)产品有很好的集成，但最近，微软(Microsoft)更加关注其包含Skype DNA的(Skype DNA)Teams平台。因此，随着时间的推移，Skype可能会开始处于次要地位。您还应该知道，尽管所有内容都已加密，但如果您想要端到端加密，则必须手动创建私人聊天。
9.电线（安卓(Android)和iOS）
优点(Pros)
- 具有出色加密技术的开源隐私应用程序(Open-source privacy app with great encryption technology)
- 因易于使用而备受赞誉(Lauded for ease of use)
缺点(Cons)
- 现在总部设在美国(Now based in the USA)
- 保留超过用户的平均数据(Keeps more than the average data on users)
Wire是一款私人消息传递应用程序，它首先作为安全通信平台销售。除了主要的移动操作系统、Windows、macOS 和 Web 浏览器之外，它还可以在Linux上使用，这一点值得注意。
Wire可让您在群组中和单独地安全地聊天。它使用基于Signal(Signal)协议的端到端加密。Wire一开始是关闭源代码的，但随着时间的推移，代码已经开源。
Wire因其易用性和安全性而获奖，但近年来也出现了一些担忧。该公司从卢森堡(Luxembourg)搬到了美国(USA)，这引起了人们对用户数据隐私法变化的担忧。很明显，Wire会保留用户记录，表面上是为了帮助进行多设备同步。
目前，Wire仍被认为是重量级的私人消息传递应用程序之一，没有迹象表明用户应该避免使用它。尽管如此，鉴于正在进行的业务变化，我们建议密切关注任何隐私政策的变化。
10. Viber（安卓(Android)和iOS）
优点(Pros)
- 速度快，可用性高(Fast, great usability)
- 称职的安全性(Competent security)
缺点(Cons)
- 仅针对单个聊天的端到端加密(End-to-end encryption only for single chats)
Viber是另一个将Linux添加到其兼容操作系统列表中的信使应用程序。关于隐私和安全性，它在此处的选择中处于较弱的一端，但该应用程序确实为一对一聊天提供端到端加密。其安全性已由Ernst & Young进行外部审计。尽管其加密协议尚未详细发布，但该公司已使用与Signal Protocol相同的概念对其进行了描述。
虽然这家公司的安全性仅处于中等水平，但Viber用户似乎喜欢该软件。它是迄今为止乌克兰(Ukraine)同类应用中最受欢迎的。仅在Google Play 商店(Google Play Store)就有近 1600 万次下载，这个时髦的聊天应用程序有一些东西。
私聊吧
这是我们列出的最佳安全消息应用程序列表，但并不详尽。随着隐私成为一个更热门的讨论话题，您可以期待App Store和Play Store会积累越来越多专注于保持聊天私密性的应用程序。
现在，我们的移动设备已成为我们生活的核心部分，以至于您必须在隐私和安全消息传递方面做出某种选择。评估您的风险偏好，确定您愿意与企业共享多少数据，然后选择最符合您偏好的应用程序。正如甘道夫(Gandalf)所说，“保守(Keep)秘密，保持安全！”。
The 10 Best Chat Apps for Privacy and Security (2022)
Privacy and securіtу are a bone of contention in modern internet technology. There’s always the possibility that the government or a haсker might be listening or even watсhing you through your internet connection or a public Wi-Fi hot spot. This fear is perhaps present in its most serious form when it comes to chat apps.
Messaging apps have become a crucial form of communication for billions of people worldwide. They’re used in casual discussions about grocery shopping to highly-private information about our personal lives. If you’re looking for a chat app that offers the most privacy, this list of the best chat apps for privacy and security should help you find the right secure app for your needs.
What Makes a Chat App Private and Secure?
There’s no such thing as perfect cybersecurity. Most locks can be broken with enough time, money, and technological advancement. So when we talk about something “secure,” it means that it’s too expensive or difficult to bother trying to crack it.
When it comes to chat apps, there are a few aspects of the software that helps to secure your communications.
Apps can encrypt your data on the device itself. This is in addition to any device encryption provided by your phone or other devices.
Next, if you want to keep things secure, your app should only keep local copies of your data. That means no copies of your actual messages or logs of your activity exist on servers, even if the content is encrypted! You may also want the option for self-destructing messages that are permanently deleted after they’ve been read.
Not all apps offer these hardcore security features, but one feature that all secure chat apps should have is end-to-end encryption. This is a method of encrypting your message content where the service provider can’t see what’s being said. The encryption keys are generated on the devices of the chat participants. End-to-end encryption also means that anyone who intercepts your chats won’t be able to read them.
You may also want to opt for a chat app that’s open source. This means that anyone can inspect the app’s source code. That makes it almost impossible for “back doors” to be hidden in the code, which would allow the app provider or government officials to bypass the app’s security.
What matters the most is choosing the app with the right level of security for your needs.
Pros
- Almost everyone is on WhatsApp
- Easy to use, well-designed
- Great choice of media sharing options
- End-to-end encryption
Cons
- Shares data with FaceBook parent company
- Data collection is linked to your device ID and identity
WhatsApp is the most popular chat app globally and has become so ubiquitous that businesses even list a WhatsApp number on their official pages.
WhatsApp is easy to use and incredibly versatile. It offers the expected text chat functionality and a great group chat option for families, organizations, and friend groups.
You can share voice messages and use file-sharing features from within the app. Your phone number is your unique link to your WhatsApp profile, and you can make VOIP (voice over IP) calls and video calls from one interface. These encrypted voice calls consume data but not airtime.
WhatsApp has strong end-to-end encryption, which means neither WhatsApp nor anyone outside of your chat can know what’s being said. However, there is a catch. Since WhatsApp was acquired by Facebook (now Meta), its privacy policy has changed to allow data harvesting and sharing of WhatsApp users with Facebook.
So we can describe WhatsApp as a secure messaging app, but perhaps not the most private one. WhatsApps massive popularity means that you’ll probably have to use it but carefully read through the privacy policy to ensure you’re comfortable with what’s being shared with their corporate overlords.
2. Facebook Messenger (Android & iOS)
Pros
- End-to-end Encryption (in Secret Conversations)
- Optional biometric security
- Funky chat environment with lots of hip features
- Large user base.
Cons
- Encryption must be activated for text messages manually
- Facebook data sharing remains a privacy concern.
Sticking with Facebook, for the time being, the next app worth considering is Facebook Messenger. Messenger is the messaging platform used by Facebook, Instagram, and Portal at the time of writing. Oculus Quest will be brought into the fold soon as well.
Like WhatsApp, Messenger offers end-to-end encryption. Unlike WhatsApp, you have to activate the feature manually using the “Secret Conversation” option. Voice and video chat are, however, always encrypted.
Messenger scores low on privacy for the same reason as WhatsApp. Some of your information is being harvested by the company, and you should read their policies to understand how and why this is being done. It doesn’t score as high as WhatsApp on security either, simply because end-to-end encryption is opt-in at the moment.
3. Apple iMessage (Built-in to iOS & macOS)
Pros
- Fantastic integration across your Apple devices
- A much more secure alternative to SMS
Cons
- iCloud backup introduces encryption vulnerabilities
- You can only chat with other Apple users
If you own an iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch, or a Mac, you already have iMessage installed on your device. This is Apple’s in-house messaging system, and it’s been wildly popular with Apple customers almost from the start.
The big downside of iMessage is that it can only be used between Apple devices since that’s integral to how its end-to-end encryption works. Another possibly serious issue is that the iCloud backup feature for devices like the iPhone stores your device’s encryption key on its servers.
That makes it technically possible for someone to decrypt your messages by getting the key from the backup. Luckily you can disable iCloud Backup and wait for the data to be deleted after 180 days, after which the old key will be invalid anyway. That’s only if you’re paranoid, but your in-transit messages are always protected.
As a messenger app, iMessage has tons of neat features, such as screen effects for specific messages, stickers, Memoji, Animoji, GIF search integration, and more. As long as everyone you want to talk to is also a part of the Apple fan club, iMessage remains a fantastic chat app.
4. Signal Private Messenger (Android & iOS)
Pros
- Highly-secure
- No corporate interest
- Open source code
Cons
- Not as polished as mainstream mega chat apps
- Network performance isn’t always great
When people think of encrypted messaging apps, Signal is undoubtedly one of the first names that pop up. That’s because this app is firmly centered around privacy and security. It’s the app that Edward Snowden uses!
Signal can send one-to-one messages, group messages, share files, share voice notes, images, videos, and make video and voice calls. It’s a full-featured chat app with hardcore encryption and privacy standards.
The downside of Signal is that some users complain that messages take a long time to send and that server performance isn’t always excellent.
Pros
- Better privacy policy than WhatsApp or Facebook Messenger
- Great features, such as uncompressed image sharing
- All messages are encrypted in transit
Cons
- End-to-end encryption needs manual activation
If Signal is the hardcore privacy messaging service, Telegram would be medium-core. It’s more privacy-focused than WhatsApp but not as uncompromising as Signal.
On balance, this is the app that we like using as a good middle-ground between the two ends of the secure instant messaging world. One area where Telegram does come short compared to WhatsApp is in the end-to-end encryption department. While all Telegram messages are encrypted, only “Secret Chats” are encrypted end-to-end. In this way, Telegram is like Facebook Messenger.
If you remember to mark sensitive chats as secret chats, you’ll get the best of both worlds. Your privacy won’t be as open to corporate greed compared to social media messaging apps. Telegram also has a great Windows and macOS client that does a better job than the WhatsApp desktop client, in our opinion.
Pros
- Independently audited
- Strong encryption practices
- Allows for forward-security in case your keys are stolen
Cons
- Closed source
- The CIA is an investor
Wickr was founded back in 2012 and is a pioneer when it comes to secure messaging apps, long before it was cool or topical. One of its key features at launch on iOS was the ability to set an expiration date, superficially similar to the (slightly older) Snapchat, which deletes messages after a day.
The EFF (Electronic Frontier Foundation) scored Wickr highly in 2015 for its encryption practices, the ability to secure past communication if your keys were stolen. Wickr’s weak spots come down to being closed source and being a little vague in its technical documentation.
However, Wickr has not released a white paper detailing its encryption protocol. What might be slightly worrying is that the CIA is an investor in the company.
Pros
- Open-source
- Built from the ground up to be private and anonymous
- Swiss servers are legally protected
Cons
- It’s not free
- Limited user base
Threema stands out from the crowd by being one of the few messaging apps that costs money. It’s only $3.99 to get the app, but that’s steep in the world of mobile apps.
The app itself is open-source, which is a security plus point. The money you pay is another assurance that your data isn’t being sold since you are funding the service directly.
Threema is based on “privacy by design” principles. One example is that you don’t need to provide a phone number or some other identifiable information like WhatsApp or Telegram.
Threema’s servers are in Switzerland, which means that your data benefits from that country’s strict privacy laws. Essentially Threema will never have to provide user information to foreign governments for any reason.
Pros
- Great performance and features
- Massive user base
- Available on almost every platform
Cons
- Slowly being phased out in favor of Microsoft Teams
- End-to-end encryption requires manual activation
Skype is another mega-popular chat application backed by a major software company in the form of Microsoft. The software has been around for years, and at this point, it’s pretty stuffed with features, including the ability to make phone calls to regular phone numbers. For a price, of course! Just choose someone from your contact list, pick your mode of communication and start chatting away.
Skype has excellent integration with other Microsoft products, but lately, Microsoft has been giving more attention to its Teams platform, which contains Skype DNA. So as time goes by, Skype might start languishing on the back-burner. You should also know that although everything is encrypted, you’ll have to create a private chat manually if you want end-to-end encryption.
Pros
- Open-source privacy app with great encryption technology
- Lauded for ease of use
Cons
- Now based in the USA
- Keeps more than the average data on users
Wire is a private messaging app marketed as a secure communication platform before anything else. It’s notable for being available on Linux in addition to the major mobile operating systems, Windows, macOS, and web browsers.
Wire lets you chat securely in groups as well as individually. It uses end-to-end encryption based on the Signal protocol. Wire started with its source code closed off, but the code has been open-sourced over time.
Wire has won awards for ease of use and security, but there have been some concerns in recent years. The company moved from Luxembourg to the USA, which has raised concerns about privacy law changes when it comes to user data. It’s also become apparent that Wire keeps records on users, ostensibly to help with multi-device syncing.
For now, Wire is still considered one of the heavy-hitter private messaging apps, and there’s no indication that users should avoid it. Still, given the business changes that are going on, we advise keeping an eye on any privacy policy changes.
Pros
- Fast, great usability
- Competent security
Cons
- End-to-end encryption only for single chats
Viber is another messenger app that adds Linux to its list of compatible operating systems. Regarding privacy and security, it’s at the weaker end of the selection here, but the app does offer end-to-end encryption for one-on-one chats. Its safety has been audited externally by Ernst & Young. Although its encryption protocol hasn’t been published in detail, the company has described it using the same concepts as the Signal Protocol.
While this company’s security is only in the middle of the pack, Viber users seem to love the software. It’s by far the most popular app of its kind in Ukraine. With nearly 16 million downloads in the Google Play Store alone, there’s something to this funky chat app.
Let’s Have a Private Chat
That’s our list of the best secure messaging apps, but it’s hardly exhaustive. As privacy becomes an even hotter topic of discussion, you can expect the App Store and Play Store to accumulate more and more apps focused on keeping your chats private.
Our mobile devices are now such a central part of our lives that you’ll have to make some sort of choice when it comes to private and secure messaging. Assess your risk appetite, decide how much data you’re willing to share with corporations, and then pick the app with the best match to your preferences. As Gandalf said, “Keep it secret, keep it safe!”.
