Headquarters of the NSA at Fort Meade, Maryland. Digital Trends I made a phone call last week that the NSA probably can't listen to even if it tried.

While talking with a friend and fellow journalist on the phone, I realized our conversation about sources and secrets on a forthcoming story was veering into "I don't want anyone to listen to this" territory.

After all we've learned since the 2013 Snowden leaks, my privacy concerns certainly have merit.

So I said "Stop talking about this. Go get this app."

It's called Signal, and it's an incredibly easy-to-use app for iPhone and Android that allows both encrypted text and voice communications. Signal was released last year, and in December app developer Open Whisper Systems released a desktop version.

If you are not technically inclined, figuring out encryption isn't easy. For the vast majority of people, creating an encryption key, uploading it to a key server, sharing it with those you want to talk to — and then integrating all this into your email inbox — feels like the computer equivalent of running the gauntlet.

But increasingly there are easy encryption solutions, like Wickr for texting, Mailvelope for email, and even default encryption turned on for Apple's iMessage.

Signal takes it a step further. There is no signup or registration. Nor is there any exchange of information between parties. You just download the app, install it on your phone, and call whoever you want, using a regular phone number.

Open Whisper Systems

It's end-to-end encryption — meaning there is no middleman to intercept — and it just works. “Even if we wanted to, we can’t hand your information over to anyone,” founder Moxie Marlinspike told Tech Crunch.

Basically, making a secure phone call has become so easy a caveman can do it, and plenty of people who regularly use encryption have taken notice.

"When talking to people for whom communications confidentiality really matters, I can only recommend Signal," tweeted Christopher Soghoian, the principal technologist for the ACLU.

Of course any solution for secure calls or texts comes with caveats. While the code powering Signal is droolworthy, all technology is susceptible to potential security bugs that have not yet been uncovered.

Perhaps the biggest endorsement for Signal comes from an ex-NSA contractor:

"I use Signal every day," Edward Snowden tweeted in November.