This New Fully Encrypted Messenger App Is Serious About Privacy
Arthur T Knackerbracket has processed the following story:
In the realm of messaging apps and services, it's pretty easy to get lost in a sea of the same. Just about every service claims to be the most secure, the most user-friendly, and the most private. But are they... really?
The team behind a new messaging app/service reached out to me to introduce their product calledSession. According to the Session site, "Session is an end-to-end encrypted messenger that minimizes sensitive metadata, designed and built for people who want absolute privacy and freedom from any form of surveillance."
Of course, I was skeptical, but when I installed the app and set it up, I realized I was dealing with something different. With Session, there's no phone number, account name, or footprint to be had. Session uses an onion routing network to ensure you leave no trace, so it's simply impossible for anyone to create a profile based on metadata or account information. All accounts are completely anonymous, and zero data is collected, which means there's absolutely nothing to leak.
[...] When you install the app, you create an account; the only thing associated with that account is the Account ID. Copy that ID and share it with anyone you'd like to chat with and get to the communication, knowing everything is secured with end-to-end encryption, and none of your personal information is shared or saved.
[...] During account creation, you do have to enter a display name, but you're not required to use your real name. You can also choose between fast and slow notification modes. The fast mode uses Google's notification servers, and the slow mode means Session will occasionally check for new messages in the background. Session recommends using the fast mode, but if I had to guess, I would assume the slow mode to be the most private.
[...] Session is still in its infancy, and few people know about this app/service. For anyone trying to escape the usual concerns that their information will be leaked, you can trust that this is less likely to happen with Session than with many other options. Even if your information was leaked, the only thing hackers could get would be your Account ID, as there's no other information tied to your account. And with all communication secured with E2E, even your chats would be hard to view.
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