What messengers are there today? WhatsApp - modern and functional
The high popularity of instant messengers has made them an attractive marketing channel. Many companies actively use instant messengers to attract and retain customers. For example, they offer website visitors correspondence in messenger instead of correspondence in online chat. This is convenient for customers because they do not need to remain in a specific browser tab and wait for a response from the operator.
TOP 5 most popular instant messengers in 2017
According to the study we mentioned above, WhatsApp is the most popular instant messenger in Russia. 68.7% of Beeline operator clients used it to correspond with friends, colleagues, and acquaintances. The Megafon operator also confirmed its popularity - according to an internal study, the messenger is popular with 47.6% of subscribers who use messengers at least once a month. And in research , published on the website of the J’son & Partners Consulting agency, collected statistics from all over the world: at the end of 2016, the messenger had more than 1.2 billion registered users.
In the catalog Google Play The application has been installed by more than 61 million people. Over the past 2017, developers have implemented a lot good updates. For example, we launched the ability to search for GIF animation directly from the messenger. Users of the messenger can call, exchange files, communicate in group chats for free, linked to a phone number.
In marketing, WhatsApp is used primarily for communication with clients, consultations or newsletters.
Viber
Viber ranks second in popularity among instant messengers. Thus, it is used by 45.7% of users of the VimpelCom operator. It is also in demand among Megafon users - 39.7% of clients use it. In the Google Play catalog, the number of its installations exceeds 10,000,000. The description of the messenger in the catalog indicates that the number of users worldwide exceeds 800 million people.
In 2017, Viber developers also keep up with the developers of other applications and offer interesting updates. For example, now the messenger has hints for stickers, the ability to send newsletters or respond to specific message in a group chat. Messenger users can also make calls, including video calls, send text and voice messages, and communicate in group chats.
Main purpose Viber messenger in marketing - remote customer support and mailings.
Facebook Messenger
According to the J’son & Partners Consulting study, the link to which we provided above, Facebook Messenger ranks second in popularity in the world after WhatsApp. In mid-2016, the number of its users exceeded 1 billion. In the Google Play catalog, the number of installations exceeded 73 million.
Messenger allows you to communicate with friends on social media Facebook networks without going into the browser. It also includes the ability to share updates and receive notifications about likes and reposts.
Most often, the messenger is used to communicate with users on behalf of the company. Many advanced companies in the field create chatbots that answer typical simple questions. This helps reduce the burden on operators.
Telegram
Telegram showed the most active growth - in December 2016, the average daily number of users increased by 60.5%. In the Google Play catalog, the number of its installations exceeded 2,000,000.
In the messenger you can create group chats and channels, make calls, including video calls, send text and voice messages, communicate with stickers. Communication is free, convenient, fast.
Companies use Telegram to create their channels and remotely support users. You can also often find chatbots in this messenger.
Skype
This messenger entered the TOP 5 most popular applications worldwide - in 2016, the number of its users exceeded 300 million. 38.3% of VimpelCom subscribers also have this messenger installed. In the Google Play catalog, the number of installations exceeds 10 million.
The first option that Skype entered the market with was free videos calls. In 2017, the developers added emoji, reactions to messages, the ability to share content without leaving the messenger, and many other options.
Many companies use Skype for remote video support of clients and conducting remote training meetings.
Which messenger do you think is the future? Who will take the palm in popularity in 2018? Share your opinion in the comments.
Communication and sending files have become even more convenient with the advent of instant messengers - special programs for video calls and instant messaging. The world's first messenger (ICQ) appeared in 1996, then Skype gained popularity, and since 2009 they began to publish regularly similar programs and mobile applications: about 70% of the largest mobile operators in Russia (Beeline, MegaFon, MTS) use instant messengers. Every year the number of users increases by 5 - 7%, while more and more new applications appear. We invite you to familiarize yourself with the TOP 4 instant messengers in terms of popularity among Russians.
“Killer” SMS and part-time brainchild of Pavel Durov - Telegram messenger- burst into the world of messaging in 2013 and immediately became popular, but mainly abroad. In our country, the share of users according to the results of 2017 is only 7.5%. The number of subscribers in the Russian Federation is about 8 million people, of which 1.5 million are active. The total number of users is about 40 million, and the application is most popular in Iran.
Telegram appeared in the wake of media reports about the surveillance of Internet users by American intelligence agencies. An important advantage of the application is the impossibility of hacking correspondence. Among the important advantages of the program, we note the following:
- message encryption;
- fast work;
- possibility of exchange quick messages and files of various formats;
- own cloud storage;
- the maximum number of users in one chat is up to 5 thousand.
This application was originally created for teamwork, therefore optimal for business. You can use hashtags in correspondence (for now only in Latin), replies and mentions have been added to group chats. Chat users can reply to specific messages by double-clicking on them. When developing the application, Pavel Durov and the Digital Fortress company (translated from English as “digital fortress”) relied on the security and privacy of users.
In addition to encrypted messages, corporate users note the built-in function for synchronizing files and messages between the mobile application and the desktop version. It is also possible to view message statuses (read/unread). With the help of Telegram bots, the country's largest companies successfully interact with clients: Tinkoff, Alfa-Bank, Qiwi, Tele2, etc. Telegram is free, secure and convenient channel communications that works on devices with operating systems iOS systems, OS X and Android, and the readability of messages in it is on average three times higher compared to email correspondence.
A program similar to Skype in functionality appeared in December 2010. Viber app has about 900 million users worldwide, and in Russia it is used by about 82 million people (about a third of subscribers of the largest domestic operators cellular communications). The program development centers are located in Israel and Belarus (in the homelands of the founders, Talmon Marko and Igor Magazinnik, who met while serving in the Israeli army).
Since 2016, you can create public accounts for commercial enterprises in the application. They are designed to provide two-way communication between subscribers and business representatives. Business accounts and public chats can be created upon request, but they are completely free. Other benefits of the application include:
- free calls to anywhere in the world (between Viber users);
- transfer of video, photos, text documents;
- conference chats supporting up to 40 users.
Viber offers automatic search users by phone number from their contact list: just install the application on your smartphone, after which it will analyze the phone book and show which of your friends also has the messenger installed. If the user you want to call does not have the Viber application, use Viber Out to make calls (calls are paid, you need to top up your account balance).
The advantage of using Viber Out is the lower cost of calls compared to mobile operators, which is especially important in roaming and when making international calls. Please note: communication via Viber is free only when connected to Wi-Fi networks. For using the program through cellular networks Additional charges may apply. Among interesting features applications - ability to send money transfers between accounts thanks to the company’s cooperation with the Western Union system. The message encryption function is responsible for the secrecy of personal correspondence, but there is also another function - creating copies of personal correspondence, which calls into question the fact of security.
The most popular messenger in the world - WhatsApp - appeared in 2009. The number of its users exceeds 1 billion, and in our country its audience is 106 million people (more than 40% of the population). Every day, up to 5.6 million Russians use it, sending SMS messages, audio and video files, and documents. WhatsApp became the first service synchronized with phone book contacts. Interestingly, the application was developed in California and belongs to the Brand Corporation Zuckerberg Facebook, but not very popular in the US. The program is most in demand among users from Spain.
The client works on most platforms, including Windows, iOS, Android, Nokia Symbian, etc. Since 2016, the application is completely free, although previously there was a subscription fee of $1 after the first year of use. The program has many business-oriented functions, namely:
- sending documents in PDF format;
- synchronization of received files between mobile and desktop versions;
- transferring files saved in iCloud, Google Drive, Dropbox;
- authorized business accounts;
- group chats with the ability to add up to 256 participants;
- mass mailing;
- automatic saving of photos to the device gallery;
- sending current geoposition;
- displaying message status and delivery history.
You can turn off the read status in WhatsApp, and then the other person will not know whether you received their message or not. You can also disable the display of the last login time - another feature for maintaining privacy. In dialogue mode, you can delete any message by tapping and holding (the context menu, where you can select an action). WhatsApp does not have full-fledged program for PC, but there is a web version, which can be entered by reading the security QR code on the computer screen using a smartphone.
One of the oldest, but still popular instant messengers, Skype, was created in 2003. It's cross platform software absolutely free to use when making audio and video calls, as well as sending messages to users who also have it installed. The application uses closed code, which means it is highly secure. More than 300 million people around the world use Skype every month, making calls totaling over 3 billion minutes every day.
Main advantages of the program:
Unlike most IP telephony programs, Skype uses a decentralized P2P architecture, and the only central element is the identity server that stores accounts and backups contact lists. Special data compression algorithms allow voice calls, comparable in quality of communication with traditional calls on mobile phones, using an Internet connection at a speed of 30 - 60 kbit/s.
If you have been using instant messengers for a long time or are just planning to install them, feel free to share your opinion about them on our website - like your favorite programs and create a popular rating with us!
Those who have recently begun their acquaintance with the Internet often come across previously unknown words and terms that are not used in offline life. Today I will try in simple words tell what a messenger is on a phone and on a PC, what this program is used for, how it functions, as well as what features messengers from different developers have.
Messenger - what is it in simple words
Messenger is a program (application) for instant messaging over the Internet. Messengers can use text, pictures, videos as messages; some applications support transferring files of any format.
The predecessors of instant messengers are email and telephone SMS.
But mail is not that fast. Typically, email clients check incoming emails every few minutes. This is inconvenient for quick communication, so mail is used more often for writing large letters.
Compared to modern online messengers, SMS is too expensive, and the functionality is very outdated (even emoticons cannot be sent normally).
Messengers use the Internet to transmit data, and it is now inexpensive, even if you take into account mobile tariffs.
Messages are exchanged instantly, the user writes a phrase, presses a button to send, and his interlocutor reads the message a split second later.
Most communication applications not only quickly transmit messages, but also show in real time the status of contacts in your address book - you can see who is online and will receive your message immediately, and who is not online.
In addition, most representatives of this class of applications allow you to make voice calls over the Internet, and some support video calling.
Summarizing the main functions of instant messengers:
- Instant messaging;
- There is no fee for communication, except for Internet traffic;
- Ability to transfer text, pictures, videos, arbitrary files;
- The ability to conduct voice and video conversations without additional communication fees;
- Show the status of the interlocutor;
- Save correspondence history.
How messengers work
Most users see only the client part of the messenger - this is either a program on a computer or an application on a smartphone (tablet). Meanwhile, all messengers are tied to own servers– there is information storage and data processing. The server part ensures the security of logins and passwords, allows you to find contacts even when their owners are offline, etc.
Each of the messengers works using its own data transfer protocol, and these protocols are rarely compatible. In my memory, I have only come across applications twice that could combine messages from different networks- this was Qip infinum and Mail.ru Agent - once they could even support the Skype protocol.
But everything is tied to money, and the developers of each messenger strive to ensure that users install only their applications (there you can insert an advertisement or offer some paid function).
Therefore, different messengers are almost always incompatible and in order to communicate, people have to install several applications at the same time.
Which messenger is better to use?
So we, friends, have figured out what a messenger is on the phone and on the computer, now the question arises, which one is better to use. Looking ahead, I will say that there is no clear answer. When choosing a messenger, you need to look at the unique features of each of them - what is more convenient for you personally in terms of functionality, as well as what the majority of people with whom you need to keep in touch mainly use - it’s one thing if you need a “light” client that takes up little space places, it’s another matter if you need to constantly hold video conferences.
Let's look at the most popular instant messengers on the Russian-speaking Internet.
Viber - a universal messenger
The brainchild of Belarusian developers was initially available only to iPhone owners, but after some time versions for Android and Windows appeared. The application works on both mobile phones and personal computers, so with Viber you will always be in touch.
Viber accounts are linked to a number mobile phone which makes it very simple search people through a standard notebook.
Viber is not just a messenger for messaging - it is a full-fledged communication tool with a full range of all modern functions. He can:
- Send text, image and video messages;
- Create group chats, bringing together several people in one conversation;
- Make free video calls between service contacts;
- Automatically extract Viber contacts from your phone's address book;
- For an additional fee, you can call via the application to regular phones at cheap rates;
- Create public group chats with the ability to search them;
- Stores correspondence history and all transferred files.
Skype - family messenger
Skype originally appeared as a program for personal computer and was focused on voice and video communication between users. But with the spread mobile devices, was created and mobile app for this messenger.
Skype messenger allows you to do almost everything you can think of, but has one drawback - the program is “heavy” (takes up a lot of space) and seriously loads the device, so most people use it only on desktop PCs for making calls.
Skype features:
- Audio and video calls to users from the contact list;
- Calls to regular phones for a fee;
- Group video and audio calls;
- Broadcast text messages via chat;
- Transfer any type of file, even to users who are not online this moment(files are uploaded to the messenger servers);
- Storing message history.
WhatsApp - modern and functional
This messenger is an application very close in functionality to Viber. The WhatsApp account corresponds to the phone number, the contact list is taken directly from notebook phone.
Main destination - fast transfer messages from mobile devices – chat. Unfortunately, WatsApp has several disadvantages compared to its competitors:
- No desktop version;
- There is no ability to create open public chats;
- It is not possible to call regular phones.
Otherwise, this messenger is not bad, it can:
- Send text, graphic and video messages;
- Supports group chats;
- Allows you to make audio and video calls to other WhatsApp contacts;
- Store correspondence history;
- Show delivery and reading times for messages.
WhatsApp, like Viber, consumes little Internet traffic, as it was originally developed as a messenger for mobile phones.
Telegram - a secure messenger
The youngest of the described messengers, but despite its youth it has already taken its rightful place in the market. Telegram was developed by Pavel Durov (one of the creators of VKontakte) and was initially positioned as a secure means of communication.
According to my personal estimates this product more aimed at a commercial audience, where group discussions have to be held and information leakage cannot be allowed. Secure protocols and all kinds of settings, up to automatic deletion messages after a given period of time provide all this.
Telegram has the ability to create channels and conduct a one-way broadcast of messages in them - only the author writes, the rest read - this is a kind of analogue of subscribing to updates, like email newsletters(only no one will send spam, since subscription is done only in person).
Unfortunately, there are no calls in Telegram, that is, you cannot communicate via this messenger by voice, which makes it inconvenient for casual family conversations between grandmothers and grandchildren or parents with children - where you really want to hear and see your interlocutor.
Telegram messenger has a version for different types devices and can be installed on both a computer and a smartphone with any operating system.
Other messengers
There are many programs for communication, and the list of worthy ones is not limited to the four described. It’s just that other applications are less popular and your friends most likely do not use them.
TO interesting programs you could add the above-mentioned Mail.ru Agent, Qip, as well as ICQ, Facebook massenger. But it only makes sense to choose them if you have interlocutors.
How to install messenger
The installation method depends on which device and which messenger you want to install on.
Installing messenger on PC
For computers, you will need to go to the developer’s official website and download the distribution that matches yours operating system. Here are the links:
- Official website – www.skype.com/ru/get-skype/ – .
- Official site - www.viber.com/ru/products/windows/
- Official website – telegram.org/apps
Then you run the installer and do everything it says step by step.
Installing messenger on your phone
With a phone, installation is even easier, go to the application store (Google Play, Play Market, App Store), in the search enter the name of the desired messenger - Viber, WhatsApp, Skype or Telegram.
Clicking the “Install” button will add the application to the device, and then you will simply need to log in if you already have a login and password or create a new account if you have not registered before.
Now you know everything about instant messengers - what they are, which one to choose and how to install on your device, and I hope that thanks to these programs you can always stay in touch and be closer to your family and friends.
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So far, not a single truly popular messenger has been blocked in Russia, so now all Russians have a very wide choice of means of communication for every taste and color. Today, based on data from the Mediascope activity meter, the top 10 most popular instant messengers in Russia, used by all residents of the country, were named. This information sheds light on which messenger is more popular than the other and by how much specifically in terms of numbers.
The purpose of the study was not to determine the most popular instant messengers in Russia, but to find out the general user base of the Veon service, which was launched by the Beeline operator in July 2017, making it available to all subscribers. Experts wanted to find out how many Russians use it in active mode more than three months after its launch. All data that was collected by the Mediascope service is current as of October - there is no more recent information yet, and there will not be until the beginning of 2018.
Researchers found that common base Active users of the Veon messenger, which received and opportunities, as of October 2017, amount to 748 thousand people. All of them are residents of Russia in the age category from 12 to 64 years. Such statistics allowed this means of communication from the Beeline operator, which he very actively advertised everywhere, starting from federal television channels and video hosting YouTube, to win very impressive prices. short term positions.
Top 10 most popular instant messengers in Russia:
- WhatsApp - 22 million users;
- Viber - 18.9 million users;
- Telegram - 7.3 million users;
- Skype - 6 million users;
- Facebook Messenger - 1.8 million users;
- Hangouts from Google - 815.7 thousand users;
- Veon - 748 thousand users;
- ICQ - 693.7 thousand users;
- Google Talk- 508.5 thousand users;
- "Mail.Ru Agent" - 505.6 thousand users.
As you can easily see, the most popular messenger in Russia is WhatsApp, but Viber is close on its heels, which is actively used on a regular basis by almost two tens of millions of Russians. Telegram closes the top three most popular means of communication, and Skype is in fourth position. Although he is in the top 5, his audience is shrinking every month, so he may soon fall out of it if he has worthy competitors.
Number of active users Facebook messenger Messenger, which is designed for communication within the world's largest social network, looks simply ridiculous - less than 2 million people. Communication service Hangouts from Google has an even more modest audience - only 816 thousand people. In seventh place is Beeline's Veon, the number of users of which is growing quite actively every month. Following it are ICQ, Google Talk and “Mail.Ru Agent”, which, as a rule, are used by people of the old school. They are in no hurry to change them to something more modern.
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Increasingly, news is coming from different parts of the world that hackers or intelligence agencies have gained access to the correspondence of high-ranking officials, celebrities, employees government agencies and so on. Even from events last days I can give a few examples offhand.
Why is it important to protect correspondence?
The notorious "Russian hackers"
At the beginning of June 2017, an American publication called The Intercept published information from a secret US NSA report on an investigation into attempts to hack voting systems on the eve of the high-profile US presidential elections in 2016. NSA employees were able to establish that a group of hackers had attacked at least one manufacturer of electronic voting systems.Naturally, the hackers are presumably considered Russian, although no evidence has yet been found for this. However, the fact remains that hackers, whoever they were, were able to get into the “holy of holies” of American democracy.
Unpleasant Pavel Durov
At the end of May 2017, Pavel Durov, widely known in Russia, former CEO social network VKontakte, and now the creator and head of the Telegram project, recently received a message from Google about an attempt to hack his account by “pro-government hackers.” Moreover, on his Twitter page, Durov hastened to upset the special services with the message that he does not use Google service for important correspondence.Kazakh director at a rally
In the spring of 2017, Kazakh film director Marat Teleuov spoke about his experience of communicating with employees law enforcement. Marat “met” the police because of his participation in a rally against the transfer of land to foreigners in May 2016. This issue turned out to be topical for modern Kazakhstan; a large number of people, and law enforcement officers responded with mass arrests.During the interrogation, the director was shown screenshots of his correspondence from Email And social networks, threatening to imprison him for calling for a rally. Fortunately, Teleuov did not actually encourage his compatriots to riot, and as a result was able to prove his innocence. However, the brazen invasion of his privacy, the pressure during interrogations and 8 hours spent without food or drink, he remembered for a long time.
Everyone is at risk
The examples listed above show that no one, from the civil service to the ordinary person, is immune from situations where hacked correspondence data will be used against him. You might think that to an ordinary person, not a celebrity, not a government official, not a political activist, there is nothing to be afraid of. However, in reality, your private life can be turned inside out at any moment and turned into evidence for the prosecution.It is worth remembering that your correspondence is also of great interest to attackers. Fraudsters can use it to gain access to your bank card, blackmail and other unpleasant ways to extract money from you. And even more harmless cases when mailboxes or accounts on social networks are hacked simply for the sake of sending viruses or spam, causing their owners a lot of inconvenience.
If you want your private life to remain that way, and so that no stranger dares to interfere with it, you need to develop a culture safe use messengers, postal services, social networks, etc. And the main rule information security– use only secure messengers for important, confidential, personal correspondence. Today this topic is quite popular, and therefore quite a few applications guarantee one degree or another of data protection. Let's evaluate the security level of each of them.
The six most secure instant messengers (according to SECRETVPN)
Signal (formerly called RedPhone)
IN AppStore application appeared in July 2014, and on Google Play in November 2015. Members of the non-profit organization OWS (Open Whisper Systems) worked on the creation of the messenger. The application can be used to exchange calls and messages with subscribers whose contacts are in your phone book.
Signal uses technology end-to-end encryption"Double Ratchet" Signal users who start a conversation immediately trigger the creation of two encryption keys that only exist on their phones. And when they try to make a call, users see randomly selected phrases on their screens that must match.
The application servers do not store any keys, as well as information about messages and calls received by the subscriber. A fan of Signal, as well as other OWS projects, is the well-known Edward Snowden. (tweet from Edward Snowden)
Wire
This application was created by developers from Microsoft, Skype, Nokia and Apple. The first version of the messenger appeared in 2014 and immediately became cross-platform: Wire can be installed on Android, iOS and even Mac OS. Initially, the program differed from its analogues mainly in its stellar composition of developers. It can be used to send messages and voice, make group calls and chats, and send music and videos.
However, in 2016, Wire was updated with end-to-end encryption. This, again, is the principle according to which all keys for encrypting and decrypting data are created only on the devices of the participants in the correspondence. Any information that one subscriber transmits to another is completely unreadable until it reaches the recipient. This is essentially the same encryption that Signal uses.
The messenger is registered in Switzerland, a country whose legislation is famous for its respect for privacy. In addition, Wire provides reliable data encryption regardless of what device and OS the subscriber is using.
Silent Phone
This messenger is one of the tools of the Silent Circle package, the use of which Edward Snowden still calls for in his interviews. The Silent Circle company develops various products for secure communication. At its origins are famous encryption experts: John Callas, Phil Zimmerman, Mike Jaenke. The Silent Phone messenger is quite standard in its functionality: you can use it to write messages and make calls, as well as transfer various files. In addition, users can "recall" messages that have already been sent, erasing all evidence of their existence in the application. Data transfer is carried out through peer-to-peer computer networks increased stability, while the information is encrypted using the SCIMP protocol – own development companies.
SCIMP technology, in turn, is based on the ZRTP protocol. The essence of its application comes down to the following (using calls as an example):
- when calling a subscriber, a public ID is generated;
- this ID is used to generate keys with which the current conversation will be encrypted;
- upon completion of the conversation, the pair of keys formed at the beginning is destroyed;
- after the conversation, no one can decipher the content of the session from the outside.
Threema
Threema is a Swiss-made secure messenger that is quite popular among Russian law enforcement officers, businessmen and government officials. The functionality of the application is standard: exchanging text and voice messages, opening group chats, transferring various files, contact synchronization, etc.
Until recently, some experts called Threema almost the most secure messenger in existence. The application uses the same end-to-end encryption mechanism, thanks to which the keys needed to decrypt information exist only on users' devices. Additionally, using Threema doesn't require you to enter an email address or even a phone number, making the app as anonymous as possible.
In Russia, this messenger has recently been treated with caution, since Roskomnadzor included it in the Register of Information Dissemination Organizers. How diligently the creators of the application will follow Russian legislation, and whether this will affect Ukrainian users is unknown, but many Threema fans now prefer to conduct confidential conversations in other instant messengers.
WhatsApp can be called one of the most popular applications for free exchange calls and messages, conducting group chats, sending files and similar operations. It cannot be said that this is the most secure messenger, but in 2016 it acquired an end-to-end data encryption mechanism for all its users. For these purposes whatsapp guide agreed with representatives of OWS, who provided them with their proprietary Signal Protocol. Keys for encrypting information are not only generated only on subscribers’ devices, but are also periodically changed so that even if one key is cracked, an attacker cannot read the entire correspondence. Moxie Marlinspike, one of the creators of the Signal messenger, took part in the development of this system.
It is worth noting that WhatsApp was not initially positioned as secure messenger. One of the first to appear on the market, it won users, first of all, thanks to the ability to write messages and call other subscribers for free using only an Internet connection. Therefore, there is no need to talk about the maximum security of the messenger, especially taking into account its closed code, not allowing for curious users help WhatsApp developers find and fix vulnerabilities.
However, today the application encrypts user data much more thoroughly than a couple of years ago.
Telegram
The new project of Pavel Durov, which first saw the light in the summer of 2013, is the most advertised secure messenger in the post-Soviet space. Telegram allows you to send messages, exchange files, and conduct group chats. You can also edit messages in the messenger, delete them, and set them to self-destruct after a certain period of time. The account is linked to a mobile phone number, although users can also be contacted by their nicknames. The encryption method used was the MTProto protocol, developed by Nikolai Durov (brother of the founder of Vkontakte) and other specialists from the Telegram team. This protocol combines several popular protocols: RSA-2048 for authentication and authorization, DH-2048 for data encoding, AES for message forwarding, etc.
Although the application is really different high degree data protection, it’s still not worth saying that Telegram is the most secure messenger. For example, the linking of an account to a phone number is criticized, as well as the fact that the contents of regular chats (not secret ones) and the phone book are stored on Telegram servers for some time.
Matthew Green, a professor of cryptography at Johns Hopkins University, like a number of other experts, questions the advisability of using a proprietary encryption protocol. The professor is especially perplexed by the fact that the development of the protocol was not carried out by cryptographers, but by mathematicians who cannot accurately verify the absence of vulnerabilities in its mechanism.
The position of the authorities or what to pay attention to
Representatives of the leadership of various states, as a rule, speak out against increasing the level of security of messengers. In Russia this is the “Yarovaya package”, in the UK - a statement by the head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs Amber Rudd about the inadmissibility of encoding information on WhatsApp after the terrorist attack on March 22, 2017, in the USA - permission to use any data from the phones of suspects, and so on. In most cases, officials justify their position by fighting terrorism and crime. And not all IT companies value the security of their users’ data more than “friendship” with the authorities. Therefore, the use of secure messengers that encrypt data so that only the users themselves can decrypt it becomes an urgent need for modern conditions.
Choice specific application behind you, but do not forget to keep your finger on the pulse of events. It is necessary to vigilantly monitor how the relationship between the developers of the chosen messenger and government officials develops.
We hope our article helped you decide which messenger to choose, we also recommend using