WhatsApp has changed its terms and conditions. If you don’t want to agree, you have to find another messenger. But who does it better in terms of data protection?
Messenger is now almost a dime a dozen. The questions that WhatsApp users ask themselves when they do not want to accept the new general terms and conditions of their previous service provider and want to switch to another messenger are about the ease of installation, the level of data protection and data security and the costs. Eight alternatives to WhatsApp.
1. Element
The Messenger Element is fairly unknown, but is popular with tech-savvy government employees. This messenger is available as an app for android, iOS, Windows, Linux and MacOS. The Android version can do without the Play Store. Element can be used directly with a web browser without installation (app.element.io). For WhatsApp users, Element’s user interface will take some getting used to.
Element offers end-to-end encryption for voice-over-IP telephone calls, video chats and the classic messaging services for sending texts and images. The Element app held in Google’s Play Store has a program library that ensures that the app is constantly connected to Google. For this reason, data protection-sensitive users use the app in the F-Droid store, which this library does not have.
2. Ginlo
Ginlo, for example, is very easy to install. The messenger was developed by the Munich-based Brabbler AG. Ginlo took over him in February 2020. The app is free of charge for private users. It runs on iOS (from version 9) and on Android (from version 5) in German, English, Spanish, Italian, French and Turkish. In real-time messaging, all common file formats from PDF to DOCX to JPG can be sent. Group chats are also possible. The messages are fully encrypted. The paid business version offers significantly more functions such as out-of-office notices and message prioritization.
3. Google Messages
Google Messages can be used free of charge, but Google evaluates the data of Messages users very extensively. Google does not offer end-to-end encryption for its Messenger. Data protection and data security are not very pronounced with this messenger service.
4. Signal
Signal offers end-to-end encryption and ensures that little metadata is generated in messaging. Installation and operation are very simple. Photos, videos and audios can be sent in individual and group chats. Signal’s program code is open, meaning anyone can view it and check for weak points. Signal does not record who exchanges messages with whom and when. Most security professionals recommend Signal.
5. Telegram
Telegram was developed by Nikolai and Pavel Durov to defeat the tight control of Internet traffic by the Russian security authorities. Telegram offers a cloud-based service without end-to-end encryption and fully encrypted private chats that are only stored on the local devices. With the cloud-based service, the chats are re-encrypted on the server. The operators would theoretically have access to the data.
Telegram’s apps (client software) are open source, so they can be viewed by anyone; the software on the central server is proprietary. Former WhatsApp users also often chose Telegram because they can import their WhatsApp chats into Telegram.
6. Threema
The best known alternative to WhatsApp is Threema. The operator is based in Switzerland. Communication is end-to-end encrypted. Metadata is only sparse. For example, it does not record who exchanges messages with whom and when. The messenger software can be viewed by anyone, but the server software cannot. Threema is subject to Swiss data protection law and has always passed previous checks with flying colors. Convenience, data protection and data security are all right, but they come at a (low) price: the app costs 3.99 euros once. Threema also offers encrypted telephony.
7. Wire
The operators of Wire are also based in Switzerland and use the end-to-end encryption from Open Whisper, which is also used by the Signal messenger service. The range of functions corresponds to that of the other messengers. Wire also offers the option of group calls. Wire stores user metadata, but only in anonymized form. The data protection experts from Digitalcourage eV only recommend Wire to a limited extent, because Wire Swiss GmbH was taken over by a US holding company in 2019 and is therefore subject to American security legislation.
8. Free Messenger
Many initiative groups also offer messengers based on the so-called Jabber protocol. This open protocol is also known as XMPP and was originally developed for PC-to-PC chatting. XMPP is open source and platform-neutral. However, the setup requires some technical knowledge, which is explained in more detail here.
