- Update privacy.com paid plan description and restylize Coincards
- Remove mention of Cake Wallet beta version, replace defunct link with
archive link, and mention platform availability for Monero.com
Signed-off-by: Jonah Aragon <jonah@triplebit.net>
Signed-off-by: Daniel Gray <dngray@privacyguides.org>
- Fix bold of consistency of some items
- Proton card already mentions service is in Switzerland
- Tidy up 1Password description
- Change the icons for Proton Pass's and 1Password's web app links so that they're consistent with the icons for other web app links
- Update Psono's description to mention its limited passkey support
- Grammar fixes
Signed-off-by: Daniel Gray <dngray@privacyguides.org>
- Added Proton Calendar Android app, web client have been audited
- Replaced drive description link to general audit page
Signed-off-by: Daniel Gray <dngray@privacyguides.org>
fix: hanging footnote orbot card
fix: external Tor Browser link to internal one
Signed-off-by: Jonah Aragon <jonah@triplebit.net>
Signed-off-by: Daniel Gray <dngray@privacyguides.org>
It seems like both distributions in the current 'immutable distributions' category are moving beyond the immutable branding.
Fedora:
> Thirdly, this nice branding term is also a more accurate way of talking about how rpm-ostree works. Fedora Atomic spins are not actually immutable. There are ways to get around the read-only aspects of the implementation even though it is much harder. The nature of the OS, where updates are only implemented when they successfully build and you can rollback or rebase between core host systems, is better described by atomicity than immutability. Atomic is also how many of the contributors who work on rpm-ostree prefer to talk about it! Rebranding provides an opportunity to change the language surrounding this technology.
Nix:
> NixOS also provides atomic updates;
(Directly from Privacy Guides)
It's a minor change, but I feel it'd be helpful for the community to be utilizing consistent terminology for different technologies being utilized.
Co-authored-by: Jonah Aragon <jonah@privacyguides.org>
Signed-off-by: Daniel Gray <dngray@privacyguides.org>
# Configures this workflow to run every time a change is pushed to the branch called `release`.
on:
push:
branches:["main"]
release:
types:[published]
workflow_dispatch:
concurrency:
group:container-build
cancel-in-progress:true
permissions:
contents:read
packages:write
# Defines two custom environment variables for the workflow. These are used for the Container registry domain, and a name for the Docker image that this workflow builds.
env:
REGISTRY:ghcr.io
IMAGE_NAME:${{ github.repository }}
# There is a single job in this workflow. It's configured to run on the latest available version of Ubuntu.
# Uses the `docker/login-action` action to log in to the Container registry registry using the account and password that will publish the packages. Once published, the packages are scoped to the account defined here.
- name:Log in to the Container registry
uses:docker/login-action@v3.3.0
with:
registry:${{ env.REGISTRY }}
username:${{ github.actor }}
password:${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
# This step uses [docker/metadata-action](https://github.com/docker/metadata-action#about) to extract tags and labels that will be applied to the specified image. The `id` "meta" allows the output of this step to be referenced in a subsequent step. The `images` value provides the base name for the tags and labels.
- name:Extract metadata (tags, labels) for Docker
id:meta
uses:docker/metadata-action@v5.5.1
with:
images:${{ env.REGISTRY }}/${{ env.IMAGE_NAME }}
tags:|
type=ref,event=branch
type=ref,event=tag
type=ref,event=pr
type=sha
flavor:|
latest=${{ github.event_name == 'release' }}
# This step uses the `docker/build-push-action` action to build the image, based on your repository's `Dockerfile`. If the build succeeds, it pushes the image to GitHub Packages.
# It uses the `context` parameter to define the build's context as the set of files located in the specified path. For more information, see "[Usage](https://github.com/docker/build-push-action#usage)" in the README of the `docker/build-push-action` repository.
# It uses the `tags` and `labels` parameters to tag and label the image with the output from the "meta" step.
**Privacy Guides** is a socially motivated website that provides information for protecting your data security and privacy. We are a non-profit collective operated entirely by volunteer team members and contributors.
**Privacy Guides** is a socially motivated website that provides information for protecting your data security and privacy. Our mission is to inform the public about the value of digital privacy, and global government initiatives which aim to monitor your online activity. We are a non-profit collective operated entirely by volunteer team members and contributors. Our website is free of advertisements and not affiliated with any of the listed providers.
Our current list of team members can be found [here](https://github.com/orgs/privacyguides/people). Additionally, [many people](https://github.com/privacyguides/privacyguides.org/graphs/contributors) have made contributions to the project, and you can too!
The current list of team members can be found [here](https://www.privacyguides.org/en/about/#executive-committee). Additionally, [many people](#contributors) have made contributions to the project, and you can too!
*Featured on: [Tweakers](https://tweakers.net/reviews/10568/op-zoek-naar-privacyvriendelijke-tools-niek-de-wilde-van-privacy-guides.html), [The New York Times](https://nytimes.com/wirecutter/guides/online-security-social-media-privacy), [Wired](https://wired.com/story/firefox-mozilla-2022), and [Fast Company](https://www.fastcompany.com/91167564/mozilla-wants-you-to-love-firefox-again).*
## Contributing
- 💬 [Start a discussion or suggest an idea](https://github.com/privacyguides/privacyguides.org/discussions)
- 💬 [Start a discussion or suggest an idea](https://discuss.privacyguides.net)
- 💖 [Sponsor the project](https://github.com/sponsors/privacyguides)
- 🈴 [Help translate the site](https://crwd.in/privacyguides) [[Matrix chat](https://matrix.to/#/#pg-i18n:aragon.sh)]
- 🈴 [Help translate the site](https://crowdin.com/project/privacyguides) [[Matrix chat](https://matrix.to/#/#pg-i18n:aragon.sh)]
- 📝 Edit the site, everything's accessible in this repo
- Browse our [open issues](https://github.com/privacyguides/privacyguides.org/issues) to see what needs to be updated
- View some contribution tips on our [contributor's wiki](https://github.com/privacyguides/privacyguides.org/wiki)
- Browse our [open issues](https://github.com/privacyguides/privacyguides.org/issues) to see what needs to be updated
- View the list of [approved topics waiting for a PR](https://discuss.privacyguides.net/tag/approved)
- Read some writing tips in our [style guide](https://www.privacyguides.org/en/meta/writing-style)
All contributors to the site are listed [here](#contributors). If you have contributed to the website or project, please [add yourself](https://github.com/privacyguides/privacyguides.org/issues/2524) to the list or ask @jonaharagon to make the change.
> Most hidden service providers are not very extensively used or tested, [which is why we strongly recommend Tor](https://www.privacyguides.org/en/tor/). Using other networks could be more likely to endanger your anonymity, so make sure you know what you're doing.
- Please help us out by pinning a copy: [Learn more](https://github.com/privacyguides/webserver/blob/main/ipfs/README.md)
- via Cloudflare: [cloudflare-ipfs.com/ipns/ipfs.privacyguides.org](https://cloudflare-ipfs.com/ipns/ipfs.privacyguides.org/en/)
- via 4everland: [ipfs-privacyguides-org.ipns.4everland.io](https://ipfs-privacyguides-org.ipns.4everland.io/)
- via [@jonaharagon](https://github.com/jonaharagon): [ipfs.jonaharagon.net/ipns/ipfs.privacyguides.org](https://ipfs.jonaharagon.net/ipns/ipfs.privacyguides.org/en/)
- via [peer](https://docs.ipfs.tech/how-to/peering-with-content-providers/): `/dnsaddr/node-1.ipfs.jonaharagon.net/p2p/12D3KooWMwqzuApCKxYfo66zq5BrTjCoz9naJ1rrMEBCnwuGGqWB`
Privacy Guides content is licensed under the [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International Public License](/LICENSE), and the underlying source code used to format and display that content on [www.privacyguides.org](https://www.privacyguides.org) is licensed under the [MIT License](/LICENSE-CODE).
Generally speaking, **content** can be found in the [`/docs`](/docs), [`/theme/assets/img`](/theme/assets/img) and [`/includes`](/includes) folders; and **source code** and configuration files can be found in the [`/config`](/config) and [`/theme`](/theme) folders, and in the root of this repository. Any source code snippets contained within documentation files are [MIT Licensed](/LICENSE-CODE). Please contact us if you require clarification on any of these terms.
These licenses do not apply to any work where another license is otherwise noted.
**Logos** in the [`/theme/assets/img`](/theme/assets/img) folder may not be original works of Privacy Guides and therefore cannot be (re)licensed by us. We believe that these logos obtained from third-party providers are either in the public domain or **fair use**. In a nutshell, legal [fair use doctrine](https://copyright.gov/fair-use/more-info.html) allows the use of copyrighted images in order to identify the subject for purposes of public comment. However, these logos and other images may still be subject to trademark laws in one or more jurisdictions. Before using this content, please ensure that it is used to identify the entity or organization that owns the trademark and that you have the right to use it under the laws which apply in the circumstances of your intended use. *When copying content from this website, you are solely responsible for ensuring that you do not infringe someone else's trademark or copyright.*
You may comply with our license terms in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests Privacy Guides endorses you or your use. You **may not** use the Privacy Guides branding in your own project without express approval from this project. Privacy Guides's brand trademarks include the "Privacy Guides" wordmark and shield logo.
When you contribute to this repository you are doing so under the above licenses, and you are granting Privacy Guides a perpetual, worldwide, non-exclusive, transferable, royalty-free, irrevocable license with the right to sublicense such rights through multiple tiers of sublicensees, to reproduce, modify, display, perform and distribute your contribution as part of our project.
## Developing
1. Clone this repository and submodules: `git clone --recurse-submodules https://github.com/privacyguides/privacyguides.org`
[](https://codespaces.new/privacyguides/privacyguides.org?devcontainer_path=.devcontainer%2Fdevcontainer.json)
Committing to this repository requires [signing your commits](https://docs.github.com/en/authentication/managing-commit-signature-verification/signing-commits) (`git config commit.gpgsign true`) unless you are making edits via the GitHub.com text editor interface. As of August 2022 the preferred signing method is [SSH commit signatures](https://docs.github.com/en/authentication/managing-commit-signature-verification/about-commit-signature-verification#ssh-commit-signature-verification), but GPG signing is also acceptable. You should add your signing key to your GitHub profile.
2. Run a local preview of the English site: `./run.sh --cmd=mkdocs`
### With `mkdocs-material-insiders`
This website uses [`mkdocs-material-insiders`](https://squidfunk.github.io/mkdocs-material/insiders) which offers additional functionality over the open-source `mkdocs-material` project. For obvious reasons we cannot distribute access to the insiders repository.
**Team members** should clone the repository with `mkdocs-material-insiders` directly. This method is identical to production:
1. Clone this repository and submodules: `git clone --recurse-submodules https://github.com/privacyguides/privacyguides.org.git`
2. Enable SSH commit verification with our local [`.allowed_signers`](/.allowed_signers) file: `git config gpg.ssh.allowedSignersFile .allowed_signers`
3. Install Python **3.12**.
4. Install **pipenv**: `pip install pipenv`
5. Install dependencies: `pipenv install --dev` (install [Pillow and CairoSVG](https://squidfunk.github.io/mkdocs-material/setup/setting-up-social-cards/#dependencies) as well to generate social cards)
6. Serve the site locally: `./run.sh --insiders` (set `CARDS=true` to generate social cards)
- The site will be available at `http://localhost:8000`
- You can build the site locally with `mkdocs build`
- You can build the site locally with `./run.sh --insiders --build`
- This version of the site should be identical to the live, production version
If you commit to `main` with commits signed with your SSH key, you should add your SSH key to [`.allowed_signers`](/.allowed_signers) in this repo.
### Local Translated Site Builds
1. Install the [Crowdin CLI Tool](https://developer.crowdin.com/cli-tool) (`brew install crowdin`)
2. Set the `CROWDIN_PERSONAL_TOKEN` environment variable to your Crowdin personal access token
3. Run `crowdin download` in the root of this repo
4. Serve the site locally: `./run.sh --insiders --lang=fr` (replacing fr with the appropriate language in [/config](/config))
Translations downloaded from Crowdin are [.gitignore](/.gitignore)'d, so any local changes to the translated site cannot be committed to this repo. Actual modifications need to be made on Crowdin. As an alternative to steps 1-3, you can copy the folders from [privacyguides/i18n](https://github.com/privacyguides/i18n) to the root of this repo to obtain the translated files.
## Releasing
1. Create a new tag: `git tag -s v2.X.X -m 'Some message'`
- Tag [numbering](https://semver.org/): Increment the MINOR (2nd) number when making significant changes (adding/deleting pages, etc.), increment the PATCH (3rd) number when making minor changes (typos, bug fixes). Probably leave the MAJOR number at 2 until a massive redesign (v1 -> v2 was the Jekyll to MkDocs transition).
It is required to create a GitHub release to publish the current site to privacyguides.org. The current `main` branch can be previewed at [https://main.staging.privacyguides.dev](https://main.staging.privacyguides.dev) prior to release.
1. Create a new tag: `git tag -s YYYY.MM.DD -m 'Some message'`
- Tag numbering: `YYYY.MM.DD` - if two+ releases are published on the same day, append short commit sha to next release, e.g. `YYYY.MM.DD-6aa14e8`
- Enable GPG tag signing by default (`git config tag.gpgSign true`) to avoid missing signatures
2. Push the tag to GitHub: `git push --tags`
3.[Create a new release](https://github.com/privacyguides/privacyguides.org/releases/new) selecting the new tag
-Title the release the same as the tag version number without the `v`, i.e. `2.X.X`
- For more significant releases, add a **short** title, for example [2.3.0 - Localization Support](https://github.com/privacyguides/privacyguides.org/releases/tag/v2.3.0) or [2.2.0 - Removing Social Networks](https://github.com/privacyguides/privacyguides.org/releases/tag/v2.2.0)
- GitHub should let you auto-generate release notes based on PR titles
- Mark more significant changes in bold, see [2.3.0](https://github.com/privacyguides/privacyguides.org/releases/tag/v2.3.0) for example
4. Publish release, it will be deployed to the live site automatically
- When publishing more significant releases (generally any with a MINOR version increment) check the "Create a discussion for this release" box to post an announcement
3.A GitHub Release will be automatically created and deployed to the live site.
-You may wish to manually check or edit the release changelog/title after it is published for accuracy.
## Contributors
Privacy Guides wouldn't be possible without these wonderful people ([emoji key](https://allcontributors.org/docs/en/emoji-key)):
<!-- ALL-CONTRIBUTORS-LIST:START - Do not remove or modify this section -->
<a href="https://all-contributors.js.org/docs/en/bot/usage">Add your contributions</a>
</img>
</td>
</tr>
</tfoot>
</table>
<!-- markdownlint-restore -->
<!-- prettier-ignore-end -->
<!-- ALL-CONTRIBUTORS-LIST:END -->
This project follows the [all-contributors](https://github.com/all-contributors/all-contributors) specification. Contributions of **any** kind welcome, including contributions to Privacy Guides outside of this repo, and contributions that aren't content related (like sharing ideas for Privacy Guides, promoting the project, answering questions on the forum, etc.).
See [this table](https://allcontributors.org/docs/en/emoji-key) for valid contribution reasons, comma-separated. Do **not** use the `content` code for contributors to the website, use `docs` instead (this way it will automatically link to their commits). Example:
description: Jonah Aragon is the Project Director and staff writer at Privacy Guides. His role includes researching and writing for this website, system administration, creating Privacy Guides Online Learning course content, reviewing the products recommended here, and most other day-to-day tasks.
schema:
-
"@context": https://schema.org
"@type": ProfilePage
dateCreated: "2019-10-31T00:00:00Z"
dateModified: "2024-09-09T00:00:00Z"
mainEntity:
-
"@context": https://schema.org
"@type": Person
name: Jonah Aragon
jobTitle: Project Director
description: Jonah Aragon is the Project Director and staff writer at Privacy Guides.
[**Jonah Aragon**](https://www.jonaharagon.com) is the Project Director and staff writer at *Privacy Guides*. His role includes researching and writing for this website, system administration, creating Privacy Guides Online Learning course content, reviewing the products recommended here, and most other day-to-day tasks.
He is also known for his work on the Techlore YouTube channel, including the Techlore Talks podcast he co-hosts.
**Niek** is a founding team member of Privacy Guides and part of the [executive committee](https://www.privacyguides.org/en/about/#executive-committee). His day-to-day concerns for Privacy Guides entail both research and outreach.
description: The latest announcements and updates from the Privacy Guides team.
---
# Announcements
Follow this page for the latest updates & announcements from the Privacy Guides team, and join the [announcements category](https://discuss.privacyguides.net/c/announcements/5) on our forum to discuss anything you read here!
description: Privacy Guides News presents the latest tech news about the world's best (and occasionally worst) software, hardware, and services in the privacy world.
---
# News
The latest tech news about the world's best (and occasionally worst) software, hardware, and services in the privacy world. *Privacy Guides News* has you covered for any important information you might need on your privacy journey.
description: Read the latest privacy product reviews and stories from Privacy Guides contributing writers.
---
# Reviews
Looking for alternatives to privacy-invasive apps you use everyday? Do you just want to know all the details behind your favorite privacy tools? *Privacy Guides Reviews* is the place to find all that and more. This is your one stop to find the latest advice and recommendations on things we use every day directly from Privacy Guides contributors.
This page provides transparent information about Privacy Guides, its editorial process, and how Privacy Guides creates trustworthy news, articles, and reviews.
Moreover, it is a part of Privacy Guides' commitment to [**The Trust Project**](https://thetrustproject.org/), "an international consortium of news organizations implementing transparency standards and working with technology platforms to affirm and amplify journalism’s commitment to transparency, accuracy, inclusion and fairness so that the public can make informed news choices." Privacy Guides is not currently a news partner of the program, but wholeheartedly supports its mission and values.
## Coverage Priorities
First and foremost, Privacy Guides is committed to publishing content related to the personal privacy and cybersecurity industry and communities. We firmly believe that privacy is a human right, which should not be intruded upon by any corporation, government, or other entity.
To further our beliefs, Privacy Guides strives to create coverage that promotes the ideals of personal privacy and security in online spaces, encourages companies to engage in privacy-friendly behavior, and holds privacy and security invasive entities accountable for their actions.
## Our Philosophy
Privacy Guides strongly believes in independent information published by independent people with varying points of view. As an organization, we are firm proponents of freedom of speech, expression, and the press. Privacy Guides contributors are free to share their own opinions, even when they are controversial. Every opinion article is clearly labeled as such at the beginning of the news content.
## Ethics Policy
Privacy Guides' ethical code is based in our willingness to be accurate, fair, and complete, and for all of our writers to act with honesty, transparency, and independence.
### Truth and Accuracy
Privacy Guides contributors are expected to be as accurate as possible. Getting facts from reliable sources is the defining principle of journalism. Privacy Guides always strives to provide all the relevant facts available, ensure those facts have been verified, and generally hold ourselves to the highest standards of accuracy and truth. When we are unable to corroborate certain information, Privacy Guides always makes that clear to readers.
### Independence
Privacy Guides contributors must always be independent voices in the privacy community. Privacy Guides does not act on behalf of special interests, whether corporate, political, or cultural, and whether formally or informally. Independent fact-checking is always involved in the publication process.
### Fairness and Impartiality
Many stories have at least two sides. While we are not obligated to present every viewpoint in every article we publish, our stories are balanced and add context. Our impertial reporting is a significant part of why our community has trust and confidence in our work.
### Humanity
Privacy Guides contributors do no harm. We are aware of the impact of our words on the lives of others. Private persons have privacy rights that must be balanced against the public interest in reporting information about them. Our pursuit of the news is not a license for arrogance, and we will always treat the subject of any story with respect.
### Accountability
As professional and responsible journalists, we will always hold ourselves accountable for our work. Corrections are published when errors are discovered, and we always listen to the concerns of our audience.
## Corrections Policy
Privacy Guides believes in transparency and honesty. Therefore, we will correct mistakes promptly and ensure our readers are notified. In the online world of journalism, completeness and freshness of content are huge values, and we believe accuracy is equally essential. We will ensure expediency when making corrections as needed.
When an error is detected in an article, Privacy Guides will immediately work to find the correct information, clearly display the correction within the affected article, and include the following:
- The correct information.
- What was originally published that was incorrect.
- The severity of the error.
- The date when the change took place.
When errors cannot be amended within the body of an article's content, corrections are displayed in the last paragraph of the content. Rather than remove completely the content containing a mistake, we provide clarification and admittance of our mistakes to preserve transparency.
## Verification & Fact-Checking
Privacy Guides prides itself on the validity of its content, and therefore does whatever it can to ensure that the information presented by its contributors is accurate. As a well-known global publication, Privacy Guides understands the importance of approaching claims with skepticism, thinking critically, and upholding accuracy in whatever way possible.
Privacy Guides encourages its writers to keep the following considerations in mind before publishing content:
- Always credit, acknowledge, and verify the source(s) of your information.
- Consider whether you know enough about the information to qualify as a trustable source yourself.
- Think critically when addressing claims.
- Never make assumptions.
We trust the integrity of our contributors and the accuracy of content published on this website. In the case that a mistake is made, we understand the importance of admitting to them and working diligently to provide the correct information. We always encourage our readers, sources, and other contributors to provide us with feedback on any of our content.
## Unnamed Sources Policy
Privacy Guides will only used unnamed sources in our news reporting if:
1. The material is informative, not opinion or speculation.
2. The material is vital to the news report.
3. The source is reliable, and in a position to have accurate information.
4. The information provided is not available except under conditions of anonymity imposed by the source.
Privacy Guides will always identify sources whenever possible. Our readership is entitled to as much information as possible in order to judge the reliability of our sources themselves.
: Privacy Guides' credibility is our most important asset. If our readers don't have faith that the stories they are reading here are accurate and fair, or if they suspect content within the stories we publish is fabricated, then we would lose that credibility. For our contributors to protect their own credibility, they must use every available avenue to confirm and attribute information before relying on unnamed sources. If the only way to publish a story is to use unnamed sources, our contributors owe it to our readership to identify the sources as clearly as possible without exposing the identity of the individual granted anonymity.
Our contributors should always question the motives behind a source requesting anonymity.
: Always keep your promises, but clarify conditions attached to any promise made in exchange for information beforehand. You must not take information from an anonymous support without the approval of our editorial team. We only use unnamed sources to tell important stories that would otherwise go unreported.
The decision to use an unnamed source is not a decision made solely by the writer. To use an unnamed source, a contributor must have the written consent of a member of our editorial team: [Daniel](author/dngray.md), [Freddy](author/freddy.md), [Jonah](author/jonah.md), or [Niek](author/niek-de-wilde.md).
Our editorial team will grant consent to the use of unnamed sources if the source is considered to be accurate and reliable, and if there is substantial justification for using the source's information without attribution. Privacy Guides should never be in the position of having to verify any factors within this policy after a story has been published.
## Actionable Feedback
Privacy Guides is committed to engaging with our readers and taking action based on their suggestions, complaints, and other feedback.
Readers may help us develop an individual story or line of coverage, answer questions that a story may raise, identify related or under-covered issues, and teach us about new and diverse sources, experts, and perspectives. We believe that news organizations have a responsibility to engage with the public on the values, issues, and ideas of the times, and that news organizations have much to gain in return. In fact, actionable feedback may:
- Further develop an individual story or line of coverage.
- Help answer questions that a story may raise.
- Help identify related questions or issues that the audience, including demographic segments of that audience, is discussing or are concerned about.
- Yield new and diverse sources and experts.
**We strongly encourage our readers to participate in our community forum: <https://discuss.privacyguides.net/>**
Our staff contributors are also [listed](https://www.privacyguides.org/en/about/) alongside verified email links and other contact information, where you can ask them questions or report a complaint. Each article within our news section also clearly lists the author's byline, including contact and social media information when available.
When necessary, we will make updates to our articles based on our readership's comments and feedback.
We are proud of keeping this openness a top priority, in line with the nature of our community.
description: Privacy-related news stories, product reviews, opinion pieces, and other important articles from Privacy Guides contributors.
hide:
- footer
---
# Latest Articles
This is our home for privacy-related news stories, product reviews, opinion pieces, and other important articles.
Unlike the rest of our website, these articles don't represent a consensus viewpoint of our community. Instead, they present the opinions of trusted authors within our community as-is. You may even find multiple articles on the same topic with competing viewpoints, intended to further [privacy discussion](https://discuss.privacyguides.net/).
The Privacy Guides community is one of the best privacy-related communities on the internet, and I think we have generally done a good job at promoting a positive and respectful environment where people can learn and grow.
Unfortunately, as a public forum we are not immune to the small minority of individuals who feel empowered to spread anger, hostility, and divisiveness by their anonymity and general lack of consequences on the internet.<!-- more -->
From now on, we are going to be strict about requiring all posts in our communities to be made in good faith.
We will consider the following questions when reviewing posts:
1. Is the poster presenting their criticism as informed or factual, when it's actually a matter of personal opinion, or worse, misinformation or false?
2. Has the poster failed to provide reasoning for their criticism, and demonstrated an unwillingness to learn or discuss the topic?
3. Is the poster writing something as if it is true and informed, when they're actually just speculating?
4. Is the poster simply spreading negativity instead of actually trying to improve something?
5. Is the poster engaging in ad hominem attacks against us or our community?
If these answer to any of these questions is yes, the post will be removed and the poster will be asked to revise their statement. We will suspend posters who repeatedly engage in bad faith arguments.
For almost everyone here, you won't see any negative impacts of this new policy. It is simply designed to allow us to remove the small number of people who occasionally join to spread unproductive negativity in the privacy space, at the expense of legitimate projects making the world a better place. Hopefully you will notice improvements in discussion quality overall.
---
To give an example, there are two specific behaviors we want to discourage with this new policy.
1. The constant use of words like "shilling," "fanboys," etc. to describe people who have a difference in opinion to your own is not acceptable.
To "[shill](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shill)" something is to promote something you have an employer relationship or some other actual conflict of interest with. To accuse someone in our community of being a planted shill without any evidence, simply because they like something that you dislike, is both a serious accusation and a bad-faith argument.
Even the use of terms like these informally to describe people who like a certain product more than others is disrespectful, and sows uncertainty and distrust within our community, so it will no longer be tolerated.
2. A very small portion of GrapheneOS community members continually attempt to derail any conversations mentioning GrapheneOS with irrelevant details and confrontational attitudes.
This is not a reflection on the GrapheneOS project itself, but unfortunately this has become a repeated situation with certain community members of this specific project more than anyone else, so we have to call it out.
Making unfounded accusations against Privacy Guides community members of harassment towards GrapheneOS simply because they presented their criticism of the project is not a good faith argument. Similarly, presenting unverified statements from the GrapheneOS community as factual has led to misinformation being spread in the past. It is critical to always differentiate between opinions/beliefs and factual information.
**Privacy Guides community spaces are not GrapheneOS discussion forums, and the drama from their community is not automatically on-topic in ours.** Please do not make new topics in our forum that simply link to drama posts from the GrapheneOS community. A good rule of thumb is that unless a post from GrapheneOS is specifically talking about GrapheneOS-specific, privacy-related functionality and not about other projects/software/etc., it is probably off-topic here.
- Real Time Communication: https://www.privacyguides.org/real-time-communication/
- Types of Communication Networks: https://www.privacyguides.org/real-time-communication/communication-network-types/
tags:
- Instant Messengers
license: BY-SA
description: Choosing an instant messenger is a challenge. How can you be sure you’re using the most secure, privacy respecting platform?
schema_type: AnalysisNewsArticle
---
# Choosing the Right Messenger

One of the most common questions users have when it comes to privacy is about messaging services. It seems almost all of them mention some level of privacy or encryption to entice the user to sign up for their service, but how can you be sure you’re using the most secure, privacy respecting platform?<!-- more -->
The answer actually lies in one’s [threat model](https://www.privacyguides.org/basics/threat-modeling/), which is often an ignored step in choosing all privacy related apps and services, meaning a lot of users limit their internet and communication experience because they believe they need Edward Snowden level privacy settings.
The truth is, each user needs to decide what their privacy goals are. Is your goal to stop corporations from tracking you, targeting you, and profiting from your data? Or, are you are trying to hide communications from the government or law enforcement, which is common for journalists and activists who want to protect their sources or communications from government eyes?
Once you understand your goals you can start to look at messengers and their upsides and downsides, and it’s important to remember, there is no perfect solution. Each service, no matter how secure can be compromised, because at the end of the day, you’re dealing with other humans who can screenshot, copy, or forward your messages to parties you did not intend to see them. So, it’s also important to know who you are messaging, verifying their keys, and ensuring that you place the utmost trust in them with the content you are sending.
If your goal is to simply avoid corporate tracking and the harvesting of your data from your communications, you can eliminate apps such as Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp, both services owned by Facebook and while offering encrypted messaging (optional in Messenger), Facebook [reads your non-encrypted messages](https://web.archive.org/web/20210729190737/https://www.digitaltrends.com/social-media/facebook-reads-messenger-messages/), and WhatsApp has [fallen victim](https://web.archive.org/web/20210729190737/https://www.forbes.com/sites/zakdoffman/2019/05/14/whatsapps-cybersecurity-breach-phones-hit-with-israeli-spyware-over-voice-calls/#734cec155549) to security breaches.
For this type of user, your options are much more wide as you may be more willing to share your email address or phone number at signup and can be less concerned with metadata (we will get to that shortly), and you want to look for a messenger that simply isn’t scanning your content or behavior to sell it.
If your goal is to evade more massive state-sponsored surveillance programs, the aforementioned apps are out of the question, but so are many others.
This is because when it comes to these apps, and other like it, you don’t own the encryption keys, the service does, so they are able to decrypt your messages, for their own use, or for the use of government officials who request it. This is something important you’ll want to remember as you choose the messenger that is right for you.
Even Apple’s iMessage, which is encrypted, while more secure than Facebook’s offerings, still control the keys and can access your messages if necessary. Apple does also collect data based on your behavior, so while using iMessage isn’t the same as handing your data over to Facebook, you’re still messaging with a variety of privacy vulnerabilities. On Android, you’re using SMS messages which are even less secure and can be [easily hijacked](https://web.archive.org/web/20210729190737/https://www.theverge.com/2017/9/18/16328172/sms-two-factor-authentication-hack-password-bitcoin) by someone with just enough know-how.
## Metadata
One important aspect of messaging apps you need to be sure of is what kind of [metadata](https://ssd.eff.org/en/glossary/metadata) it exposes, what is encrypted and what isn’t.
Wire, a popular encrypted messenger app has always been criticized for its decision not to encrypt user metadata, such as the date and time of registration, IP geographical coordinates, and the date and time of creation, creator, name, and list of participants in a conversation.
Metadata can be used to place you in a certain location, speaking to a certain person and can be used against you by law enforcement, even if they have no idea and no access to what the conversation was about.
Apps such as Signal, or Wickr encrypt metadata, making the conversations between two or more parties more secure and harder to track individual users with.
When it comes to avoiding corporate data mining, your metadata won’t be as useful, especially if you’re using a service that is not profiting from your data to begin with. For those avoiding state-sponsored surveillance, [metadata can be a killer](https://web.archive.org/web/20210729190737/https://theintercept.com/2019/08/04/whistleblowers-surveillance-fbi-trump/).
## Encryption
This article will not get into the complexities of the best kinds of end-to-end encryption (E2EE), but ensuring your messenger has it, that must be discussed.
The popular messaging app Telegram has come under fire the most for this. Telegram says on their homepage that, “Telegram messages are heavily encrypted and can self-destruct.” Yet, this statement is only partially true. Yes, you can set your messages to self-destruct, a great privacy feature for some, and yes, they do offer encryption, but what they don’t tell users is that encryption isn’t turned on by default.
In an [interview](https://web.archive.org/web/20210729190737/https://gizmodo.com/why-you-should-stop-using-telegram-right-now-1782557415) with Gizmodo, Christopher Soghoian, Principal Technologist and Senior Policy Analyst at the American Civil Liberties Union said that, "There are many Telegram users who think they are communicating in an [end-to-end] encrypted way, when they’re not because they don’t realize that they have to turn on an additional setting,” he continued to say that while he’s happy they offer the encryption, it’s not useful if it’s turned off.
Apps such as Signal, Keybase, and Wickr offer E2EE by default. Less popular but quickly growing apps such as Element, offer E2EE but like Telegram, have not made it a default setting, though the Matrix.org team has [said](https://web.archive.org/web/20210729190737/https://github.com/vector-im/element-web/issues/6779) that default encryption is on their road map.
Ensuring your conversations and metadata are E2EE is one of the best practices you can have when choosing a messenger.
## Registration Process
When it comes to your goals and threat model, you will need to decide how much, if any, information you’re willing to give this company on signup. Do they require a phone number and or SIM card? Do they require an email address, or do they allow completely anonymous signups, and how anonymous is anonymous? Are they storing that info (remember the metadata) unencrypted?
Giving up your phone number or email won’t be a big deal for many, as any good privacy policy will state they won’t use it for any purpose other than those you’ve granted permission for. Yet, for those avoiding state-sponsored surveillance, you may have a regularly changing number, no number, or would rather not risk giving that information up. Same goes for email.
So, you will want to find a service that fits this need. While Signal is currently testing signup without a phone number, currently you’re unable to do so. Element, Wickr, many XMPP services, don’t require anything but choosing a username.
## Source Code
Open source may be the most used phrase in all of privacy and security, and for good reason. It’s really helpful to be able to review the source code of the product you’re trusting. Experts can look for backdoors, leaks, and other bugs. Organizations that opt to open source their code are showing good faith effort to increase trust between them and the user.
Yet, open source can also limit your options, again, depending on your threat model and goals. Signal, Wire, and Keybase all offer open source repositories of their applications, and sometimes even the server software itself.
Open source also doesn’t mean secure. This is often misunderstood, and people hear open source and assume it must be good. Look at the apps code you want to use, you don’t need to be able to check it, but are others? An open source app that no one follows, or contributes to is no more or less secure than a closed source app.
Wickr, Threema, and others are closed source. They don’t offer the ability to check the source, but that doesn’t immediately rule them out either. When the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) had a comparison chart for messenger apps, it gave Wickr 5-stars. This doesn’t mean it’s perfect for someone like Snowden, but for those avoiding Facebook and Google, it could be a usable option.
It’s also important to remember there’s no way to check that someone is always using the source code in their repository in the app or server you’re downloading from the Apple Store or Google Play. When it comes to this, reputation becomes a key player in your decision, as does trust, which we will get to next.
If you’re unsure what to do here, it’s always a safe bet to stick with open source that has a large contributor base and strong reputation. It’s always best to use open source options when they are available and only recommend closed source when there isn’t a usable open source option. This is generally a good way to pick a messenger app as well.
## Ownership & Trust
An often overlooked, but increasingly important part of choosing a secure messenger is, who owns the company that’s providing your service? What would the gain or lose from selling your data and who does the company answer to?
Wire [recently lost](https://web.archive.org/web/20210729190737/https://blog.privacytools.io/delisting-wire/) a great deal of trust and standing in the privacy world because they quietly sold their company and moved it to the US. They also changed parts of their privacy policy making it harder for users to tell when Wire would share customer data. They did all of this while never updating their current users of such changes, either to the change of the privacy policy, or the move to the US.
Wire also took in more than $8 million in venture capital funding. So now, users wanted to know more about who owned their data and what jurisdictional rights were changing with the move from Europe to the United States?
These are questions we must ask of all services. Wire now has investors to answer to who will want a return on their millions of dollars.
Signal on the other hand is a [non-profit](https://signal.org/blog/signal-foundation/) which does not rely on investors and instead relies on donations, sponsorships, and grants. Because of their non-profit status in the US, they must also be highly transparent about not only where the money comes from, but how they spend it. So, users can see where this money goes, and who it’s going to.
Matrix.org (the service Element uses) runs a similar business model as Signal, located in the UK instead of the US, they reply on donations, partnerships, and grants. Matrix.org is heavily supported by New Vector, a venture capital backed company, however, Matrix.org as a non-profit is transparent about its spending, income, and influences.
Not all services are non-profit, and that should not rule them out immediately. You can also follow their funding goals. Wire lost credibility because instead of simply relying on user signups, they wanted to be the next Skype for Business and wanted to build a larger enough user base to get the attention of investors. Meanwhile apps such as Wickr, while for-profit, is transparent about taking limited investors to become sustainable on subscriptions.
This can take some time, because it’s important to know who the investors are, and what the organizational goals are. Will they eventually need to resort to data harvesting to sustain itself, if they do, and you decide to leave the platform, will you leave behind data you don’t want them to get their hands on?
## Making Your Choice
Now it’s time to choose a messenger and no one can do that for you. Popularity will need to play a role here, there’s no point in joining the new up and coming messenger service if you don’t have a single contact using it as well. One reason Telegram has been so popular is they have managed to convince more than 100 million people to sign up. If you sign in today, you’ll likely see a group of your friends in there. Signal isn’t as far behind, and others are catching up.
You’ll need to decide who you trust, and who your other contacts trust, and then compare all of that with your goals and your threat model. How much information are you willing to give on signup, does metadata matter to your threat model, and is the service you’re choosing likely to sell itself to the highest bidder once enough people sign up?
The important thing to remember is there is no one size fits all for messengers, and that each user must decide what is best for them. If someone is an avid WhatsApp or Facebook Messenger user, even Telegram is a step in the right direction. Yet, if that user is concerned with more than just giving data over to Facebook, they may need to look at more secure options.
Ensure you keep your messenger apps up to date. You don’t want to discover you’ve been compromised because a bug found in version 1 was fixed in version 2 but you didn’t bother upgrading your apps.
One last piece of advice is that users need to be diligent and never become complacent in their decision. You must be willing to change services if the goals and values of your messenger of choice change in a way that no longer match yours. Look for news of sales, mergers, or acquisitions that could compromise the organization.
---
*Dan Arel is a journalist, author, and privacy advocate. This article was originally published to [Hacker Noon](https://hackernoon.com/choosing-the-right-messenger-mm3x2z47) on November 27th, 2019.*
On the 15th of October, it was [brought to our attention](https://web.archive.org/web/20201127034309/https://www.reddit.com/r/privacy/comments/di5rn3/startpage_is_now_owned_by_an_advertising_company/) that Startpage.com was reportedly (partially?) taken over by a company called the Privacy One Group, which is in turn owned by a company called System1. We found this quite remarkable as the two companies seem to have conflicting business models.<!-- more --> Startpage has been known for basing their advertisements on what their users enter in their search bar. System1 on the other hand, is a pay-per-click advertising company that "[has developed a pre-targeting platform that identifies and unlocks consumer intent across channels including social, native, email, search, market research and lead generation rather than relying solely on what consumers enter into search boxes.](https://web.archive.org/web/20201127034309/https://www.bizjournals.com/losangeles/news/2017/09/20/system1-raises-270-million-for-consumer-intent.html)"
We reached out to System1 CEO [Ian Weingarten](https://web.archive.org/web/20201127034309/https://finance.yahoo.com/news/system1-appoints-ian-weingarten-ceo-185700741.html) for an explanation. We received a very general response that did not address key questions.
Seemingly prompted by our ongoing concerns, Startpage released a public letter addressed to us from their CEO, and hosted a [Q&A](https://web.archive.org/web/20201127034309/https://www.reddit.com/r/StartpageSearch/comments/djshn3/hello_reddit_startpage_mod_team/) on their Subreddit to try and explain the situation. While some of our questions were answered, we noted that the company seemed to be evasive, essentially restating information from a previously published [blog post](https://web.archive.org/web/20201127034309/https://www.startpage.com/blog/company-updates/startpage-and-privacy-one-group/) or posting the same response to different questions. People had to really dig to get answers and puzzle all information together, instead of getting a clearly explained and comprehensive answer from the start. Requests for clarification to some important questions went ignored.
Because of the conflicting business model and the unusual way the company reacted, claiming to be fully transparent but being evasive at the same time, we have no choice but to de-list Startpage from our recommendations until it is fully transparent about its new ownership and data processing. Remaining questions include:
- The % of Startpage and Surfboard Holding B.V. (the Startpage holding company) System1 acquired in December 2018.
- The current % ownership by System1 at the time of the audit (and any other major owners).
- Information about Privacy One Group Ltd. Where is it registered and in what city, state and country does it operate? (We have not been able to verify registration information.)
- A diagram of data flows, including flows to outside organizations, like System1, Privacy One etc.
This de-listing does not necessarily mean Startpage is violating its privacy policy. We have no evidence of that. But because there are still so many unanswered questions, we can no longer recommend the service with good confidence. If Startpage aims to be re-considered, they will have to answer the questions above, preferably along with an explanation of why it took them so long to get proper answers out to the public.
Sincerely,
Blacklight447
*Privacy Guides*
---
**2020-05-03:** Startpage has answered all of our questions for them and has clarified their policies. We have decided to recommend their service again, and you can read our latest [announcement](relisting-startpage.md) for more details.
**2023-10-23:** This post has been edited to reflect the team's move from [PrivacyTools](https://www.privacyguides.org/en/about/privacytools/) to Privacy Guides.
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