Where can you get more privacy when messaging?

Image courtesy of 3RI at Flickr.com

Are you wondering whether you should be using BlackBerry or WhatsApp Messenger? If you care about your privacy, you should seriously consider using BlackBerry. Right now it is a much safer and reliable alternative to keep your conversations private than WhatsApp. In 2013, new versions of instant messaging system for iOS and Android mobile devices were launched, and a week after that, BlackBerry Messenger had added 20 million people more, making the platform reach 80 million monthly visits. There is clearly evidence of a great interest.

BlackBerry Messenger was one of the first differential services of the company and security and privacy are two of the key features they focus on. It operates on the private network owned by the company. A large number of government security agencies have tested and approved this platform. They actually use it as well as banks and other multinational companies given that all messages sent by BlackBerry Messenger are encrypted. They are exchanged crossing the infrastructure of the company which has interconnection with a high number of carriers worldwide. This is important because it means that your message has to travel through less points to reach its recipient. So, you will see that the risk of third parties intercepting your message is highly reduced. The relationship BlackBerry has had with many telecommunications companies for so many years has led to the creation of this strategic advantage.

However, many users identify “BlackBerry” with the past; they tend to imagine plastic phones with keyboards that would allow you to check emails and send messages. Evidently, it is true. This company is one of the pioneers in the “revolution” of smartphones. In spite of the big effort in recent months to meet competition standards, this brand does not seem to achieve breaking off completely from the image they have of last century technology. However, it does not mean that their products and services are also out of date.

So, if BlackBerry Messenger offers the security and reliability that you should demand from any communication platform and WhatsApp has been proved to have so many security problems such as anyone can read your conversations, why is it more popular and has more users?

Image courtesy of Johannes Marliem at Flickr.com

WhatsApp is a simple communication cross-platform that works at a very low cost; one dollar per year. It came along at the perfect time with versions for all popular operating systems at the moment which were iOS, BlackBerry, Symbian –believe it or not- and Nokia S40. It became popular quite soon given that these type of applications were basically new and there were no many competitors which favored its position as leader. Shortly afterwards, versions for Android and Windows Phone were finally launched. Nowadays, it has millions of users and everyday it attracts more and more people around the world.

The model of this app is brilliant but the implementation is not, especially when it comes to privacy issues. There are still many questions regarding security, such as:

• Does WhatsApp save conversations? If it does, for how long?
• What happens to the messages from the moment they are sent until the recipient gets it?
• Why has WhatsApp taken so long to implement encryption in the chats?
• Why does it allow to access the system without a safer process that require a password to login? It is understandable that it makes things easier, but that is not a real justification to risk privacy.
• What does WhatsApp do with phone numbers besides using it as a user in the system?
• Why are WhatsApp efforts minimal for general security?

It is difficult to find answers to the questions and doubts about the company behind the service. What it is known for sure is that WhatsApp is not observed, in any way, by any government around the world which is curious because they are in charge of regulating telecommunications companies. Doesn’t it make it more dangerous?

In conclusion, it seems to be a good idea to replace WhatsApp by BlackBerry Messenger. It does not require annual subscriptions that appear by surprise because it is free. It has a multi platform -except for Windows Phone- and the most important aspect is that it is really safe. You might think that you do not need a safe platform because you don’t think you exchange interesting information.

However, you never know when you will end up talking about someone with your friends, or discussing sensitive work matters and even sharing documents, pictures or videos that can be used to harm you. The security system of BlackBerry Messenger is not perfect but you can trust in it. Some people keep saying that BlackBerry is so last century… Well, you might find interesting that Apple was founded 18 years earlier and it is still a company leader in the field of telecommunications. It is just a matter of perceptions.