Smartphones are now on trend. Everybody around us started using smartphones and now it’s enhanced to a level where we can store even large data in it. We can compress every imperative form of data into a small device which could fit in our palm.
So now we must be caution on the device where we have stored our personal and private information under a roof.
And it’s true that our data is vulnerable to get hacked or tapped by an unauthorized person. As our technology gets developed day by day the technology to loot like hacking our data is simultaneously are evolving actively.
The users are a little more deliberate and keep their data secure from these destructions
because this issue has tremendously sprung among all of our recent days.
It’s our privacy to keep things to ourselves. Be it a text message or call relating to a profession or other personal calls we need privacy. It’s completely annoying when we come to know that somebody is tapping our calls and reading our messages without our acknowledgment.
Though it’s not going be a big deal on tapping calls, we are bound to certain limits where we don’t have to share everything with others. For this we need surveillance for our device, that is we doesn’t have to monitor our phone all the time but the application does.
Encryption: In Depth
Encryption, the literal meaning or definition of it would fairly be the conversion of an electrical data into a secret code. But in raw text, encryption is the process of converting a given form of data in order to safeguard the assigned data making it visible only to those who possess the data.
The exact working or procedure of encryption is completely carried out with a help of a key generation. The key will start to generate once a task or a confined call is assigned to it. The key is active until the call or message is disclosed. The key act as the code, the code is confidential.
Once the code is activated no intruder can violate or also get to know about the messages or calls of the authenticated person. The code is active until a given lapse of time or till the call is disconnected. End to end encryption is a wider scope for better security and safety of recent years.
Electronic Frontier Foundation
This is one of the authorized foundations which initiated a sound idea of getting the score for each messaging applications depending upon the level of encryption provided by the developers to its end users. The foundation termed the scorecard as Secure Messaging Scorecard.
The scorecard ranges with 7 different grades of points based upon how well the encryption works on the given application. If the application fails to satisfy with better encryption, then it has no score but will be remarked as fail. Let’s see how much score did our favorite messaging application has obtained from EFF.
Application with frequent users
It is not to a surprise for anyone when we get to know that Whatsapp as the top dog over messaging applications since it’s a well-known fact that the application has a huge number of active users around the whole world.
The world famous messaging app has just updated its encryption recently, where everything which is sent through the application is encrypted. And the application scores 6 on 7, which is really a good score.
Facebook messenger
Messenger was probably an ancestor for any messaging apps. We use Facebook messenger since the day smartphones were into the trend. But to the astonishment, the application has a very poor Secure Messaging Score from EFF. The score was 2 out of 7 but the application can fix up the issues the users report.
Skype
The application is the one with the highest number of active users for video calls. To the disappointment, the application is landed up with a terrible score of 1 out of 7.
Hangouts
It’s been a long time people have switched to other messaging application from this application. Though on the test score hangouts have obtained a low score of 2 out of 7. Find out clone scripts at Zoplay.
Viber
As that of the other big shots Facebook and Google Hangouts, Viber also gathers a score of 2 out 7 which is, of course, a very poor rating
Snapchat
Here comes another popular application which has gone a lot of places for its reputation. This application has also a low rating of 2 out 7 in the metric of encryption score.
iMessage
iMessage an exclusive messaging application built for apple users gains a decent score of 5 out of 7. That’s really not bad at all when compared to the other leading application’s Secure Messaging Score.
As far as encryption is concerned every application which is outlining about safety and security takes a clichéd idea.
Though the above application has reached a huge number of masses their scores are pretty not convincing. There are around a million of application available at the store specialized for security services either. The best one among is hard to find. Here are a few finest applications which come up with better ideas of encryption and keep its users data safe. Let’s have deep dive towards those applications.
Telegram
Telegram might have a pretty low count in its number of active users and also finds to plummet in its count each year but still it is known for its heavy encryption. The application receives a score of 7 out of 7 from EFF, which means it’s absolutely a genuine and authenticated application.
The modules and customization present in telegram seem to be pretty similar to Whatsapp. Exactly the same ease in usage and efficiency. Adding to the credit points the application can run with all leading operating system which includes iOS, Android, and Windows.
Text Secure:
Text Secure was developed by Open Whisper System which is a free and open source application exclusively developed for android users. This application provides end-to-end encryption to its user while transmission of instant messages, calls or anything authentically. This application will be the first one to use Signal Protocol in its development later on other application implemented the protocol for their better performance.
Wickr
This application probably has the same motive like what other instant messaging application does. Wickr is basically an application developed by an American software company which allows its users to share instant photos, videos, and other media.
But showing a difference between other application Wickr has self-destructing options in it, where the user can destroy his messages which are sent. This application is notable for being claimed by the military for providing such strong and heavy encryption.
Signal
This application is an ideal application among those who seek for higher security and as so the application is also heavily encrypted. Signal doesn’t require much of personal details for its registration. Just like other apps Signal also ask for the phone number and provides end-to-end encryption perfectly.
In conclusion
Every application we download or make use of would come with an option saying that they provide absolutely good security and our calls, messages are not being tapped anywhere.
But not all who assure these would stand by their words. End-to-end encryption is not perfectly present among those million applications available at the store.
Only of a few have taken encryption on a serious note and worked on it. Those applications were rated with a good score at the Electronic Frontier Foundation. Based on the score we can caution ourselves and choose the better applications.
