The WhatsApp app has generated a lot of controversy in recent days after updating its privacy policy as it requires data sharing with other Facebook apps and products, and if users did not agree to the terms of the new privacy policy, His WhatsApp account will be removed by February 8, 2021.
So looking for a better option that maintains user privacy and the best option is the Signal app. According to the "Arab Technology Portal", it is mentioned that after this update; (Elon Musk) Elon Musk - Tesla CEO and currently the world's wealthiest person - urged his Twitter followers to use the Signal app and joined Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey.
Edward Snowden, a well-known privacy lawyer and former employee of the National Security Agency, has been recommending the communications app for several years. But why is Signal a better alternative to WhatsApp now?
First; What is Signal:
Secondly; What are the factors that makes Signal the best alternative to WhatsApp:
1- An open source application that supports encryption: Signal is considered the best alternative to WhatsApp since it is the most secure application among all other messaging applications since it is application source and is owned by Open Whisper Systems, a non-profit organization whose aim is to make secure and private communications accessible to everyone in the world.
The (token) application supports the encryption function and works on almost all operating systems.
Signal is available for: Linux, Windows, Android, iOS and macOS. It is also very easy to use and has voice and video calls so you don't miss out on anything WhatsApp has to offer you.
The application supports end-to-end encryption to protect your conversations, so that no one or any company developing the application can read your messages or listen to your calls. The encryption function (Signal Protocol) is based on an open source encryption protocol, which means that experts can test it and find bugs, but it is not available in the WhatsApp application and makes the application (signal) more safe. Signal also allow people to create encrypted groups.
2- Signal does not collect your personal data: the application raises a banner. Privacy Shield is not an optional mode, but it is the foundation of our work, along with all the features you would expect from the messaging application you want to use. This has been proven; Forbes magazine compared well-known instant messaging apps like Signal, iMessage, WhatsApp, and Facebook Messenger using the new App Privacy Stickers feature that Apple launched on the App Store.
This comparison shows that the (Signal) app is the best app when it comes to protecting privacy, because the personal data ses it accesses is your phone number, and it doesn't try to link it to your identity. While the WhatsApp application collects a lot of data related to the WhatsApp account, such as: phone number, your account photo and your usage patterns
including: the groups you join, the features you use, how you interact with friends. Contact numbers and other information such as: status function usage - and data device, etc.
additionally, WhatsApp will share all your data with other Facebook apps.
You can find that in: “What data does WhatsApp collect about you?”
3- Saving and Encrypting Backups on Your Device: The Signal app allows you to store backups of your messages, pictures, files and other content on your device locally in a folder in the Files app, not in cloud storage. Or the Google Drive service, how WhatsApp works. Also, when you activate the in-app backup feature, your data is encrypted with a 30-digit password and you need this code to restore the backup, so you'll need to keep it in a safe place .
Think of it as a security key that cannot be duplicated, as you cannot restore a backup without a 30-digit passcode. Where you need to create a new backup to create a new passcode.
4- Never join a group without permission: (Signal) One of the most important privacy features of the application is that not all group members join automatically, invitations are sent and users first add them to the group. Invite to join
