Encrypted Messaging
The risk
Why this matters
SMS and standard messaging are plaintext for your carrier. WhatsApp has E2EE but Meta collects metadata (who, when, how often). Your messaging app choice determines who can read your conversations and who profits from the social graph they build.
Recommended tools
What to use
Gold standard for E2EE messaging. Non-profit. Minimal metadata.
Decentralized, federated E2EE messaging. Self-hostable. No single point of failure.
No user identifiers — no phone, no username, no account. Maximum anonymity.
Decentralized, no phone number required, onion routing. Australia (OPTF).
Peer-to-peer messenger over Tor, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth. Works offline.
Swiss E2EE messenger. No phone number required. Open-source clients.
E2EE messaging and collaboration. Swiss/German. Open-source.
Setup guide
How to set it up
- 1
Install Signal as your default messaging app
- 2
Convince your close contacts to switch — privacy is a group property
- 3
For maximum anonymity (no phone number): use SimpleX Chat or Session
- 4
For group/community communication: consider Element (Matrix)
- 5
Disable SMS fallback in Signal settings to avoid unencrypted messages
Go further
For power users
Use Briar for situations where internet access is unreliable or surveilled. Use Molly (hardened Signal fork) on Android for additional security.