If you don't want to read the article "The two alternatives to Whatsapp". here is the podcast for you to listen to:
If you have already understood the 'whys' and are already convinced to abandon this live chat and are only interested in alternatives to Whatsapp, then click here to skip the preamble 😉
Why abandon Whatsapp for good
If you were intrigued by the title of this article and understand why to abandon this messaging chat and find alternatives to Whatsapp, we must start at the beginning.
Namely that Facebook (owner of Whatsapp) has a multitude of trials behind it that sees it accused of damaging the privacy of its users.
These are not inferences, but facts!
To try to understand why you should choose alternatives to Whatsapp, just do a search on any search engine and check the information we have just given you.
Obviously, this search engine does not have to be Google!
You may be wondering why not Google, an engine you may use all the time.
Simple, because you still have to believe in Father Christmas to think that companies like Facebook, Google or Apple and so many other giants do not spy on you and your habits, record audio, video, GPS position, texts and any other input even when you do not 'give them permission'.
This is because software is software and hardware is hardware.
The fact that one controls the other is just a matter of the will of the company writing the software.
To try to shed more light on why we choose alternatives to Whatsapp, we will try some practical examples.
For example, who can really assure you that when you press the OFF button on your Android, on 'location information', your GPS data are not recorded anyway regardless of your OFF command and sent immediately to the parent company of the software?
Or even at a later stage as soon as you reactivate it...
In short, there is no control on the user's part, as it is Google that decides whether or not to actually send the real 'OFF' signal to your device's GPS antenna.
Everything we have just described would render your free will completely useless for not having your position recorded.
There are real and serious reasons, therefore, to choose alternatives to Whatsapp!
In your opinion, are the cases just mentioned reality or fiction?
We still have to disappoint you by saying that these are not inferences, these facts date back to 2007.
Just since 2007 it has been discovered that Google actually precisely records your position at every instant, regardless of whether the SIM card is inserted or not and whether the GPS button is OFF or ON.
This is demonstrated by the Quartz studio.
The choice
Alternatives to Whatsapp are indispensable, because are you really sure that what we have just written does not also occur with this instant messaging service, which has Facebook behind it?
I mean, are you really sure that real data is encrypted?
That audio and video are not recorded even when you are not recording?
This discourse is long and complex, but one thing is certain...
Once the technology is in your hands and the device CAN DO IT, it takes a moment to get it to do so, it's just a matter of willingness and transparency (of the parent company) and the laws in force.
Here and now you can make your choice and think:
a) If you believe that privacy is important and a pillar of our society, and Whatsapp is certainly not a medium that respects it, switch to an alternative to Whatsapp now (click here skipping (b).
b) Instead, if you are taking refuge behind the phrase "I have nothing to hide"I hope this quote will make you think:
"Claiming that you don't care about the right to privacy because you have nothing to hide is no different from saying that you don't care about freedom of speech because you have nothing to say."
Edward Snowden
Do you understand, then, why choose alternatives to Whatsapp?
We can help you better understand this concept and Edward's words.
It is often said that privacy should be 'hidden', but in reality, it should be protected, not hidden!
From whom will you be wondering?
Indeed, by unscrupulous companies and governments, but also by the legal framework, global and even local organisations, providers of internet or technology.
Privacy represents who you are, what you believe in and what you aspire to.
It is like a small private space, allowing you to share, if you want, with whom you want and on your own terms, who you really are.
Not only that, it is also the foundation of creativity and out-of-the-ordinary ideas.
That it is a right is clear, but nowadays it has unfortunately also become a DUTY: in the sense that we have to fight for it because with each passing year we are losing some.
This happens without really realising it, a bit like in the story of the boiling frog (by Noam Chomsky).
Still haven't convinced you to choose alternatives to Whatsapp?
OK, if my words have not helped, you should watch this documentary entitled "Nothing to Hide"(2017, duration approximately 2h, in English).
You will understand much more, because 'I have nothing to hide' is a deleterious and very dangerous excuse.
Alternatives to Whatsapp
But let us come to the focus of this article on alternatives to Whatsapp.
A picture is worth a thousand words, here it is (11 January 2021):
Legend:
Red = Very worrying and severe
Yellow = Alarming
Green = All OK
White = No info to be found
In light of the great work the author has done with the comparison table above, we recommend you opt for:
Although the author also recommends Signaland certainly worth mentioning because it is more privacy-conscious than Whatsapp, we do not recommend it!
This is to avoid ending up in the 5-eye surveillance network as the company, data storage and jurisdiction are USA.
Are these alternatives to Whatsapp paid for?
Threema is but for the price of a sandwich and drink, for annual use.
Wire is free, but we recommend the pro plan.
In our opinion, paying something in money rather than with your data and your person is always better.
Session is great in that it won't even ask you for an email and therefore great for maintaining your anonymity.
If you want to know more about the criteria used (grey column), we recommend reading the table directly from the author's website.
The author's work over the past five years is truly remarkable.
Now you have no more excuses for choosing the right alternatives to Whatsapp!
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