What Is Signal?
Signal is a cross-platform, privacy-oriented messaging service that gives you a wide range of tools to manage your privacy. It is developed by Signal Messenger LLC and the non-profit Signal Foundation. It’s available for free on iOS and Android as well as PCs running on macOS, Windows, and Linux.
Signal has been around since 2014 and is much like other similar messaging apps. The app supports chats for one-on-one or group conversations, in which you can send text messages, pictures, videos, links, and voice messages. Signal also lets users make audio and video calls for real-time communication. In fact, the messaging service introduced group video calling in December 2020.
Signal is a popular choice for people looking for enhanced privacy and security since it not only offers end-to-end encryption, but also the only personal information you need to provide to start using the app is your phone number – no other data is collected.
Pretty much anyone who needs to communicate securely will benefit from using Signal. Favored by journalists, activists, government officials, cybersecurity experts, and many others, Signal has become one of the most popular messengers over the last few years. The number of Signal users has especially rocketed up following social and political unrest caused by anti-racist protests and the outrage around WhatsApp’s updated privacy policy.
Signal’s strongest security feature is end-to-end encryption: when you send a message, the only people who can see it are you and the recipient – neither Signal itself, nor the government can read your messages. Voice and video calls are end-to-end encrypted, too. However, it should be noted that messages are only secure if both the sender and recipient are on Signal.
Even though Signal is popular among users who value extra privacy and security, it can also be used for everyday purposes like work or traveling. Entire companies can use Signal on iOS, Android, or desktop, which is especially useful if you’re a remote team that needs to keep in touch throughout the day. The app is also perfect for traveling – as long as you are connected to the Internet, it will work just as it did when you were home, and your contacts will still be able to reach you during your trip.
Signal is constantly working on improving its service and creating more privacy-centered features. For instance, the app has recently added the ability to pay in a cryptocurrency called MobileCoin to keep up with the features that its mainstream rivals offer. MobileCoin is digital cash designed to work efficiently on mobile devices while protecting the privacy of users.
To sum things up, Signal is the perfect messaging app for privacy-conscious people who care about keeping their conversations private. In an era where more businesses and tech giants are trying to track you and collect a wealth of your personal information, Signal can keep all of your conversations private.