Text Me Like You Mean It: Signal & Messaging in a Privacy-First World
An essential guide to secure messaging for the terminally online
The other day I got a DM from an old college friend that just said:
“Hey. You up I need your Social Security number for something”
Naturally, this message came via Instagram.
Naturally, I replied, “Sure anything for you Queen.”
And naturally, I immediately followed up with, “Just kidding you got hacked again.”
We laughed. We cried. We changed our passwords.
But it got me thinking. Why are we still doing this? Why are we still using apps that treat our privacy like a forgotten gym membership?
So here is your unofficial, slightly paranoid, deeply practical breakdown of messaging apps. Ranked by security to get you ready to dinner table chat with the best of the best regarding security in the messaging world (yawn)
Tier 3: It’s Just DMs, What’s the Worst That Could Happen
Includes: Instagram DMs, Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, SMS (text messaging)
This is the bottom rung. The digital Wild West. The place where every “LOL” could be living in a data center forever. These apps are designed for convenience and engagement, not security.
Instagram and Messenger are not end to end encrypted by default. Meta can read your messages. And sometimes, they do like this time, or maybe this time or who could forget this time. SMS is even worse. No encryption at all. You may as well write your message on a postcard and drop it in Times Square.
WhatsApp does use encryption, but it is owned by Meta. It collects metadata like who you talk to, when you talk, and how often. It backs up your messages to the cloud without encryption. And it ties everything to your phone number.
These are fine for casual chats. For sending memes. For texting your roommate “Do we still have oat milk.” But not for anything remotely sensitive.
Personal example: A personal friend of mine once actually texted a landlord his passport, social, and bank details over plain SMS. Three hours later he got a spam call from someone claiming to be the IRS. Coincidence maybe, but I have never trusted SMS since
Tier 2: We’re Apple People
Includes: iMessage
I say this as a lifelong Apple fanboy. I love iMessage. I love the blue bubbles. I love the seamless sync between my iPhone, iPad, and MacBook.
But love does not mean blind trust.
iMessage is end to end encrypted between Apple devices. That is good. But there are a few major caveats. If your messages are backed up to iCloud, which they probably are unless you disabled it, those backups are not encrypted by default. Unless you have turned on Apple’s Advanced Data Protection.
Apple also collects metadata. Who you message. When. How often.
And if you text someone on Android, it drops straight back to unencrypted SMS. That blue bubble turns green, and your privacy goes out the window.
Personal example: My own father once sent a photo of his Medicare login and debit card to a family group chat. He followed up with, “It’s fine it is in the cloud right.” Yes dad. That is the problem.
Tier 1: I’m Not Paranoid You Are
Includes: Signal
Signal is not flashy. It does not have the blue bubbles or Animoji or integration with your iCloud photo album. But what it does have is security.
It is open source. End to end encrypted by default. Collects zero metadata. Stores nothing in the cloud. And now with usernames, you do not even need to share your phone number.
It was built for people who care about privacy. And honestly, more of us should.
Signal is not just for journalists, lawyers, or whistleblowers. It is for anyone who has ever said something that could be taken out of context. Which is all of us.
That is the magic of Signal. Maximum security. Minimal drama. It is private. It is respectful. And it is direct. Like communication should be.
So What Should You Use?
Here is the bottom line.
If you are texting about pizza or asking your friend if they fed the cat, Tier 3 is probably fine.
If you are texting your doctor, your lawyer, your boss, your crush, or your gut feelings about life in late stage capitalism, use Signal.
Side note… If you, too, enjoy staring directly into the existential abyss of late stage capitalism, do yourself a favor and read Technofeudalism: What Killed Capitalism by
. It’s brilliant. Terrifying. Spirit-crushing in that “I can’t stop highlighting this” kind of way.And hey, friendly reminder to not buy it from the corporate behemoth that shall not be named (rhymes with Blambazon). Support your local bookstore dummy! The kind where actual humans get paid actual wages, and the smell of new books hasn’t been replaced by warehouse fumes.
I,
, personally love Bookshop.org (sponsor me, I swear I will sell out tastefully) because it lets you buy books online without feeding the algorithmic overlords their usual soul tax. A portion of every sale goes directly to independent bookstores, and you can even pick a specific local shop to support with your purchase. It’s like buying from your neighborhood bookseller, but in your sweatpants, with coffee, at midnight. What’s not to love?
Anyways! Text smart. Share wisely. And for the love of your future self, please do not send your banking info over Instagram.
About the Author
John Henry Boes is a writer, creative technologist, who thinks privacy should be a default setting, not a DIY project. He writes about digital life, tech culture, and the weird psychology of the modern internet. When he is not dissecting messaging apps, he is probably making espresso or explaining AI training models to his family. Again.
Very clear. Thank you. Now I know.