After that is done, you just tap Signal’s dedicated button for starting a new conversation, and you’re all set, you can look for the respective contact in your phone book, very similar to how you would do on Whatsapp. The only essential thing is for all the people to have registered their number. The Signal app is cross-platform, so if you are on Android, you’ll have no problem talking to a friend using an iPhone. You don’t need a password for your account, as the app is tied to the phone you’re using. You only have to do this once for a phone number, which works as your account. You’ll have to register the phone number you’re using on said phone, via a code you’ll receive by SMS. You can install it on Android from the Google Play Store here or on your iPhone in the App Store. Signal has a clean interface and using it is a straightforward process. More details about the technology itself are available here. Should someone get access to Signal’s servers, and the data on them would be pretty much useless.

It uses the Curve25519, AES-256, and HMAC-SHA256 algorithms and encrypts everything end-to-end. A messaging service that makes sure your communication stays private, between you and the person you’re speaking. Saying that you don’t care about the right to privacy because you have nothing to hide is no different than saying that you don’t care about freedom of speech because you have nothing to say. The song is a collaboration between French electronic music pioneer Jean Michel Jarre and international surveillance programs whistleblower and privacy advocate Edward Snowden.Īt one point in the song, Snowden, one of Open Whisper Systems’ technology big fans, says, and I quote: However, in this particular case, it’s very appropriate, and you’ll understand why I’m doing this, in a second.

Never in a million years did I think I would use a Jean Michel Jarre song in a technology article. Why is Private Encrypted Messaging with Signal Important?

Signal for desktop windows