The Core Promise: End-to-End Encryption (E2EE)
Posted: Wed May 21, 2025 6:40 am
Both Signal and WhatsApp utilize the Signal Protocol – widely regarded as the gold standard for secure messaging – to implement end-to-end encryption. This means:
Content Inaccessibility: The actual text of your messages, the audio of your calls, and the media you share (photos, videos, documents) are encrypted on the sender's device and can only be decrypted by the recipient's device. Neither Signal, WhatsApp, nor any third party (including governments or Meta, WhatsApp's parent company) can access this content. The australia phone number list encryption keys are generated and stored exclusively on the users' devices.
No Backdoors: Both services state they do not build backdoors into their encryption.
Ephemeral Storage: Messages are typically stored on users' devices, not on the services' servers. For undelivered messages, both temporarily store them in encrypted form until delivery, after which they are deleted.
This shared foundation of E2EE for message content is crucial, as it addresses the most significant privacy concern for many users: the confidentiality of their communications. However, the similarities largely end there when it comes to the metadata surrounding those communications and the overall data collection ecosystem.
Content Inaccessibility: The actual text of your messages, the audio of your calls, and the media you share (photos, videos, documents) are encrypted on the sender's device and can only be decrypted by the recipient's device. Neither Signal, WhatsApp, nor any third party (including governments or Meta, WhatsApp's parent company) can access this content. The australia phone number list encryption keys are generated and stored exclusively on the users' devices.
No Backdoors: Both services state they do not build backdoors into their encryption.
Ephemeral Storage: Messages are typically stored on users' devices, not on the services' servers. For undelivered messages, both temporarily store them in encrypted form until delivery, after which they are deleted.
This shared foundation of E2EE for message content is crucial, as it addresses the most significant privacy concern for many users: the confidentiality of their communications. However, the similarities largely end there when it comes to the metadata surrounding those communications and the overall data collection ecosystem.