What is the general issue with providers or agencies not using messaging apps like WhatsApp or Telegram?
I’m sure it’s a safety issue but I’m not sure where the increased safety comes from by relying on SMS.
The messaging apps are encrypted and they hold the history of the conversation just the same way texting does. They are linked to your phone number as well.
I like the feature of being able to secure and hide the conversation on your phone (at least WhatsApp does), which you can’t do with SMS or iMessage.
Besides, if you and the SP are both using iPhones, it’s going over iMessage anyway which is a messaging app with less features. Not sure how Android works.
I was in Europe over a year ago and when I imbibed there, all of the SPs used either WhatsApp or Telegram. In fact, it seemed suspicious if they didn’t.
This has been covered in previous threads.
If security and anonymity are the goal, then using Whatsapp or Telegram does not accomplish that goal. WhatsApp is Meta which links you to all Meta Platforms. Facebook, IG WhatsApp.... Meta’s WhatsApp faces major public scrutiny and legal challenges over claims that it misleads users about the integrity of its end-to-end encryption. Meta essentially tracks you for ad revenue.
Telegram is fairly safe for everyday messaging, but it is not as secure or private as many users believe. Its cloud-based convenience comes with trade-offs regarding encryption, and the platform has increasingly become a target for scams and cyber threats.
WhatsApp and Telegram are both considered Social Media Platforms.
Key Security & Privacy Risks
- No Default End-to-End Encryption: Unlike platforms like Signal or WhatsApp, standard chats on Telegram are only encrypted between your device and the server. Telegram holds the decryption keys and can technically access your messages.
- Secret Chats: True end-to-end encryption is only available when you manually start a "Secret Chat," and these do not sync across your other devices.
- Data Collection: Telegram collects metadata (like IP addresses, device info, and username history) and stores them for up to 12 months.
- Platform Vulnerabilities: The platform struggles with lax moderation, leading to a high volume of phishing schemes, fake bots, and malware.
Best Practices for Safe Use
If you choose to use Telegram, you can significantly improve your security by adjusting a few settings:
- Enable Secret Chats: Use this feature for any sensitive or private conversations.
- Turn on 2FA: Protect your account from SIM-swaps and takeovers by enabling Two-Step Verification in your Privacy and Security settings.
- Lock Down Privacy: Hide your phone number and online status from strangers.
- Be Scam Aware: Never click suspicious links from unknown contacts or provide login codes to "support" bots.
Choose
Signal if your top priority is maximum privacy and
End-to-End Encryption (E2EE) by default. Choose
Telegram if you prefer a highly customizable, feature-rich social experience with cloud syncing, large groups, and broadcasting capabilities.
The key differences between the two include:
Privacy & Encryption
- Signal: Employs E2EE by default for all one-to-one chats, group chats, and calls. Its code is fully open-source, and the nonprofit foundation holds virtually no metadata or user data. [1]
- Telegram: Only offers E2EE in optional "Secret Chats". Standard messages are stored in Telegram's cloud, and Telegram reserves the right to disclose IP addresses and phone numbers to authorities in response to valid legal requests.
Features & Usability
- Signal: A minimalistic, streamlined app focused entirely on secure communication. It does not offer large public channels and limits group sizes, but it stores all messages locally on your device. [1, 2, 3]
- Telegram: Operates more like a social media platform, supporting public channels, bots, file sharing up to 2GB, groups of up to 200,000 members, and seamless cloud syncing across multiple devices
Although telegram is less secure it offers more social media options which may be the reason why some choose to use Telegram.
SSL
