Signal Private Messenger
Privacy is possible. Signal makes it easy.
Actually… it's arguably the only secure one since it's on by default (versus the likes of Allo and WhatsApp where you have to specifically enable it).
Signal has already offers the best way to send secure and privacy conscious messages (and voice calls) on Android and iOS. Now everyone can use Signal on the desktop as well. The desktop app can import your contacts from Signal on your phone and keep your messages synced.
If you already have the app downloaded, just head to https://whispersystems.org/desktop to download the Chrome extension. Then simply point your phone camera at a QR code for setup and you're done.
"and WhatsApp where you have to specifically enable it" To be fair, WhatsApp E2E encryption is on by default and cannot be shut off.
WhatsApp only encrypts data in transit. It does not encrypt data, such as our messaging history, that is stored on our phones. They also know who and when you were talking with someone and according to the WhatsApp privacy policy, the company reserves the right to record this information, otherwise known as message metadata, and give it to governments (https://www.whatsapp.com/legal/#privacy-policy). Add in that they're going to be giving user information to Facebook for advertising purposes and that's not end-to-end in the same way. Both WhatsApp and Signal support identity verification for messages and voice calls. For messages, they rely on the same mechanism: users compare identity key fingerprints, then flag a contact as verified. For voice calls, however, the two apps work differently. Signal’s voice encryption protocol makes it easy for users to verify each call by reading off two words and making sure they match. WhatsApp’s voice call verification, however, depends on users having previously verified one another for messaging by comparing fingerprints.
+Paul Spoerry You said one must enable security on WhatsApp. That's the only point I was debating, because again, it is on by default.