Telegram, WhatsApp, SIGNAL, and WickR are widely used by billions of people to facilitate phone calls and messages. Despite sophisticated features and built-in encryption, these apps can give users a false sense of security and privacy. But how?
In many publicly reported instances, bad actors have demonstrated the capability to tap in and easily garner sensitive information from the conversations and content stored in these apps as well as the devices they are installed on.
From the high-profile Jeff Bezos hack a few years ago to the recent incident related to fake Signal and Telegram apps, secure may not necessarily be secure. Once inside, bad actors can spoof messages, peer into conversations, access media files and contacts, and utilize GPS to track locations.
Secure communications and messaging apps, many which are free, collect and commingle personal information and device data. This provides the capability to monetize the data captured (nothing is totally free). Certain apps also require a phone number as part of setup and configuration. In some cases, the encryption techniques may not be end-to-end, creating gaps that can be exploited. Furthermore, some are limited to mobile devices while others may also support desktops and laptops, thus your ability to communicate across multiple platforms may be hindered.
QTel™ (formerly Qphone) offers a different approach to secure communications. It utilizes end-to-end encryption, among other advanced security features, to safeguard voice and video calls as well as text messages. Only authorized users can interact securely within an organization’s private install, powered by QTel.
Flexibly priced, QTel does not require a phone number to be configured and can be used with existing mobile devices, desktops, and laptops. QTel does not store or track data on servers, eliminating any possibility for sensitive information to be intercepted, spoofed, or monetized.
Whether you are using secure communications and messaging apps or considering them, be sure to take a closer look at how they can handle your security and privacy concerns.
Click here to schedule a QTel demo.
