WhatsApp is the most used messaging application worldwide despite not being the safest. It is not uncommon that new vulnerabilities appear in it, and therefore apps such as Signal or Telegram are much safer and better alternatives depending on what functionalities. Now, a new app called Session promises to be even safer and does not require a phone number to use it.
Something that Signal, Telegram and WhatsApp have in common is that they all require a phone number to work, although for example in Telegram we can then assign a username to avoid having to give our number to strangers.
Session allows you to create as many accounts as you want
However, Session does not require a phone number. This application is a fork of Signal , which is open source and allows the creation of such apps. Like Signal, it has end-to-end encryption and does not collect sensitive information such as metadata (something WhatsApp does).
When we install Session, instead of asking us for the phone number, an option appears that says “ Create account ”, where a unique session ID is generated. That ID is what we can share with other people to add us. We can also use QR codes .
Thanks to this, the person who receives our ID will not know our identity unless we provide it, and allows us to create the accounts we want. In addition, by not depending on mobile, we can install it on the computer without having a phone, giving much more flexibility when creating accounts without relying on a terminal.
These types of uses, unfortunately, can lead to them being used by hackers or terrorists to communicate with each other, since not only does it have encryption for messages, but there is no limit to create new accounts. Therefore, it can be an alternative to Proton Mail for hackers that infect computers with ransomware to be able to communicate with their victims.
The application code is open and can be found on its GitHub page. In addition, by not collecting any user data, no private information can be filtered in the event of a security breach.
In addition, the app uses blockchain at its core, which they have called Loki . This core has service nodes with Sybil attack protections and routes messages securely from one person to another using onion routing , which allows private communications over a public network and similar to the system Tor uses. Thanks to this, it is impossible to know who is speaking to whom.
Session, the equivalent of instant messaging Tor
The backup copies of the chats can be stored locally with a password (as does Signal), or it is possible to recover the chats through the other person with whom we speak, thus restoring the chats of the previous session and Not depending on storing them on our device.
When using a decentralized network , Session cannot be blocked in countries that have laws that allow censoring or blocking apps. It also has other functions that have the apps we use every day, such as messages that self-destruct or inform you when the recipient has read the message. We also find groups of up to 10 people, voice messages, public chats, emojis, GIFs, possibility of sending files, etc.
In short, we have an exceptionally secure app that is the equivalent of the Tor of instant messaging , and is very likely to start running as an alternative to Signal, which is also growing a lot.
The app can be downloaded from the official website, or we can download it from the Google Play Store and App Store . We also have clients for Windows, Linux and macOS.
