If you’ve ever tried to add me on WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, Telegram, or any other messaging app, you’ll have discovered that I’m not there. It’s not that I haven’t heard of them or that I’m some sort of technophobe - I just choose not to use them.
Instead, I use Signal for all my messaging needs. Here’s why.
Signal is a messaging app, much like the others you might already use. You can send texts, photos, videos, voice messages, and make voice or video calls. It works on your phone and your computer. It has group chats. In terms of features, it does pretty much everything the mainstream apps do.
The difference is in what happens behind the scenes.
When you send a message on Signal, it’s encrypted from end to end. That’s a technical term, but it simply means this: only you and the person you’re talking to can read your messages. Not Signal. Not your phone company. Not your internet provider. Nobody else.
Think of it like sending a letter in a locked box where only you and the recipient have the keys. Even the postal service can’t peek inside.
Now, you might be thinking “WhatsApp says it has end-to-end encryption too!” - and that’s technically true for the message content. But there’s more to the story.
The big difference between Signal and services like WhatsApp, Messenger, or Telegram is what else gets collected besides your actual messages.
These companies track and store a remarkable amount of information about you: who you talk to, when you talk to them, how often, where you were when you sent messages, what groups you’re in, your contact list, and much more. This is called metadata, and it can reveal an awful lot about your life even without reading a single word of your conversations.
Signal collects almost none of this. They’ve designed their system so that they couldn’t hand over your information even if they wanted to - because they simply don’t have it.
Signal is made by a non-profit foundation. They don’t make money from advertising. They don’t sell your data. They don’t build profiles about you to sell to marketers. Their entire purpose is to provide private communication.
Compare this to WhatsApp (owned by Meta/Facebook), whose parent company’s entire business model is built on collecting data about people and using it to sell targeted advertising.
I’m not saying those companies are evil or that you shouldn’t use their products. But I prefer to use a service where my privacy is the product, not where I am the product.
This is something I hear often, and I understand the sentiment. Most of us aren’t doing anything wrong or illegal in our messages.
But privacy isn’t about having something to hide. It’s about having control over your own information. You probably close the bathroom door even though you’re not doing anything wrong in there. You might lower your voice when discussing personal matters in public. Privacy is a normal, healthy part of life.
Your conversations with friends and family are yours. They’re not data points for an advertising algorithm. They’re not training material for AI systems. They’re private moments between people who trust each other.
If you’d like to message me, I’d genuinely love to hear from you. Signal is free, takes about two minutes to install, and works just like any other messaging app you’ve used.
You can download it from:
Once you’ve installed it, you can find me using my phone number, just like any other messaging app.
I’m not trying to convert anyone or suggest that you’re wrong for using other services. We all make our own choices about technology, and that’s fine. I just wanted to explain why I’ve made this particular choice, so you know it’s not personal when you can’t find me on your preferred platform.
If Signal isn’t for you, I’m also reachable by email, phone call, or even an old-fashioned letter. I just won’t be joining the other messaging platforms.
Thanks for understanding.