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Read EFF’s Thinking About What You Need In A Secure Messenger. Then return here and select the features you are looking for with a secure messenger. Each of the points below is described in depth in the EFF article.



Are you worried about your messages being intercepted by governments or service providers?

Solution: End-to-end encryption

All messengers listed on this page will have full end to end encryption as an option.



Solution: End-to-end encryption All messengers listed on this page will have full end to end encryption as an option. Are you worried about people in your physical environment reading your messages?

Solution: ephemeral or “disappearing” messages



Solution: ephemeral or “disappearing” messages Do you want to avoid giving out your phone number (or email)?

Solution: Messengers that allow aliases (and do not expose your personal information as part of your ID)



Solution: Messengers that allow aliases (and do not expose your personal information as part of your ID) How risky would a mistake be? Do you need a “foolproof” encrypted messenger?

Solution: Only encrypted communication is possible



Solution: Only encrypted communication is possible Are you more concerned about the the “Puddle Test” or the “Hammer Test”?

“Puddle Test”: If you accidentally dropped your phone in a Puddle and ruined it, would your messages be lost forever? This test is really a personal preference, whether you want your messages to be retrievable in the event of an accident. If you do not care about restoration of message, it may be desirable for the app you use to not be able to recover past messages.

“Hammer Test”: If you and a contact intentionally took a Hammer to your phones or otherwise tried to delete all your messages, would they really be deleted? Would someone else be able to recover them?



“Puddle Test”: If you accidentally dropped your phone in a Puddle and ruined it, would your messages be lost forever? This test is really a personal preference, whether you want your messages to be retrievable in the event of an accident. If you do not care about restoration of message, it may be desirable for the app you use to not be able to recover past messages. “Hammer Test”: If you and a contact intentionally took a Hammer to your phones or otherwise tried to delete all your messages, would they really be deleted? Would someone else be able to recover them? Do you need features to help you verify the identity of the person you’re talking to?

Solution: contact verification







Show only recommended apps



Show apps that have:

Ephemeral Messages

ID contains no personal info

Foolproof encryption

Puddle test: Data not recoverable

Hammer test: Data not recoverable

Has contact verification

