[1] http://bgr.com/2017/05/18/facebook-whatsapp-privacy-fine/
Thomas addressed this:
If you're worried about Facebook seeing your metadata, which is a sane worry, Wire is approximately as slick and usable as WhatsApp with mostly the same underpinnings.
> I'm not sure I'd elevate WhatsApp over iMessage
I would! Consider the following: https://blog.cryptographyengineering.com/2016/03/21/attack-o...
That sort of attack is not possible against WhatsApp.
> as implemented in versions of iOS prior to 9.3 and Mac OS X prior to 10.11.4
This fall, these will both be two major versions behind the current state of the software. Considering how openly pro-privacy/pro-security Apple has been over the past couple years, I'd expect they've fixed these issues and more by now.
I'm not making an argument that Apple is infallible; I acknowledge that it's possible there are still security flaws in iMessage. But I think that Apple is the only one of the really big tech companies who seem to be taking a privacy stand that the users can get behind, which is something to applaud.
Signal doesn't work without a phone number and it doesn't have a web app, otherwise it's great if you only use it on the phone.
Wire looks promising for desktop users.
I'd trust iMessage over WhatsApp any day of the week. The parent company doesn't make money by potentially knowing who I am and what I say.
https://www.ieee-security.org/TC/SP2017/papers/84.pdf Is super interesting when thinking about secure messaging from the perspective of ordinary folk.
https://security.stackexchange.com/questions/49782/is-telegr...
For secure, private messages, your sane current options are Signal, WhatsApp, and Wire. Signal is the best option, but you're going to make some UX sacrifices for security. WhatsApp and Wire are extremely comparable. If you worry about implementation or operational security flaws, WhatsApp has the Facebook security team behind it, and a long-term relationship with OWS; no cryptographically secure messenger is better staffed. If you're worried about Facebook seeing your metadata, which is a sane worry, Wire is approximately as slick and usable as WhatsApp with mostly the same underpinnings.
Regardless of the underlying cryptography, in the absence of a well-reviewed published crypto messaging protocol, iMessage is basically just an optimization over SMS/MMS. It's great for that, but it shouldn't be anyone's primary messenger.