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The Best & Free Online Encrypted Chat Services
Content
1. Benefits of Using Encrypted Chat Services
2. Features to Look for in Encrypted Chat Services
3. The 3 Most Secure Encrypted Chat Rooms
4. How To Make Sure You Have a Secure Conversation
5. Quick Guide to Encrypted Communications
6. FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)
7. Conclusion
Texting is one of the most convenient communication methods in this technology-driven age. However, it gets worrisome real quick when you realize that there isn't any guarantee that your web chats are not monitored. What's scary is that there can be somebody that is secretly tracking your everyday online convos. So, if you have sensitive info that you don't want anyone else to know about, try not to disclose any private info, especially if you're chatting on public forums and website chat boxes.
The best option for you when you're trying not to get peeped on while chatting is using a secure encrypted chat. There are websites that can make an encrypted chat room with as few as possible registration details. All you need to use is an internet browser on your PC or mobile phone. But, of course, there's also the server operator who can see and access your chats so make sure you don't disclose highly sensitive info on them.
We tried a few of the websites that we will be mentioning down below while having a VPN (Virtual Private Network) proxy concealing our IP address, and we didn't face any issues while doing that. The only hurdle that we faced was that JavaScript needs to be enabled as this is the thing that's accustomed to secure the messages in your browser.
Benefits of Using Encrypted Chat Services
Nowadays, it is more important than ever to take safety measures to protect your online privacy. You're never fully safe because you can never know who could be tracking and surveilling you from advertisers, ISPs, government, and hackers. And the best way for you to protect your online privacy is by using an encrypted chat platform. The main advantage you take out of these encrypted chat services is keeping your data private and safe.
Secure messaging platforms come with end-to-end encryption, which shields your data from prying eyes. Even if someone tries to intercept your data while it's being transmitted, they would not be able to access it because only the recipient has the private key to decode it.
You can use public WiFi without worrying about privacy and security when your data is encrypted. Moreover, you don't have to worry about your online activity being tracked to benefit advertisers. You can comfortably switch from one device to another and put your data on the cloud without putting your security at risk of being invaded.
A lot of people don't pay much attention to their online security and take it for granted that they won't be tracked while texting. One should never underestimate the value of using a secure encrypted chat service all the time and not just when they're logging into their bank account or sharing personal details. However, this can be extremely dangerous because advertisers don't shy away from building a whole profile on you and selling your data just out of assessing your messages. Not to mention that hackers can also make use of security loopholes in unencrypted messages apps and attack your devices with malware.
One more thing that we want to bring to your attention is that self-destructing messages aren't necessarily encrypted. If you use a messaging platform that does not support encryption, there's a big chance your self-destructing messages can be intercepted while in transit.
Features to Look for in Encrypted Chat Services
It's definitely important to use encrypted chat services, but you also need to know that not all of them are efficient and not all of them work the same way. This is why you need to understand the main features of encrypted chat services.
1. Full Encryption
Make sure to choose a messaging app that provides full, end-to-end encryption. Chat platforms that provide partial encryption are still at risk of getting intercepted by hackers as well as the prying eyes of ISPs and the government. Always make sure to check that the chat platform you chose provides full encryption with an advanced encryption protocol and other technologies that guarantee your privacy.
2. Cloud Encryption
As you might already know, a lot of instant messaging platforms use a cloud to store a backup of user data. Make sure to always confirm that the cloud backup of the messaging service is also encrypted. That is because if it isn't encrypted, this means that your data is not safe. Without cloud encryption, your data can still be stolen and hacked through the backups on the cloud which makes full encryption ineffective unless it is accompanied by cloud encryption.
3. Control Over Your Chat History
Alongside full encryption and cloud encryption, you need to also check for the option to delete your chat history. Even if your messages are encrypted, they're still stored on your phone. This means that if your phone gets into the wrong hands, your privacy could be invaded. The good news is that many platforms offer the feature of deleting your chat history.
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The 3 Most Secure Encrypted Chat Rooms
Here are the 3 most safe encrypted chat services that you can use for free:
1. ChatCrypt
Chatcrypt is a web chatting service that uses military-grade secure communication. It uses AES-256 encryption to encrypt messages with a secret password set by the user. The good thing about Chatcrypt is that you don't need to install any software to use it. Moreover, you can rest assured that all messages remain private and secure between you and the recipient who joined the room using the password you set.
This website is quite easy and relatively simple to use. Chatcrypt does exactly what it was designed to do, and it does not feature any unnecessary tools that would consume your device's resources. That is due to their belief that users' privacy is more valuable than anything else.
All you need to do is go to their website, search for the "Enter a Chat Room" option and enter the needed info. You will be notified when the credentials you entered are accepted once you get the happy-face emoticon. You can freely choose your username as usernames vary per participant. However, the encrypted chat room and password should be the same for all participants.
The chatroom password is preferred to contain more than eight figures, and have a mix of symbols, uppercase, and lowercase, plus numbers in it.
2. Cyph
Another great encrypted chat service is Cyph. It is a truly surveillance-free chat service that offers voice and video chatting plus file and image transfers. Cyph works on desktops, laptops, and smartphones.
You can use this chat service by sending a hyperlink to your friend's chat room. The good thing about Cyph is that it doesn't log your convos, instead, your link and log disappear shortly after you end your session.
Cyph may have a few disadvantages though including the potential danger of a completely anonymous chat. We say it is dangerous because you have no history, proof, or log of the convo, which would help you with legal matters if you are going to share extremely sensitive info.
Another disadvantage is due to Cyph's absolute anonymity of convos, many safety-threatening matters could be gone over on the platform. Cyph provides a platform by which that information could be transmitted after being deleted from the web, eliminating the route that online hackers use to target their victims.
Cyph uses finish-to-finish file encryption. Cyph ensures that photos, files, convos, and private data are secure from prying eyes by using technology like NTRU. This ensures that it is impossible for hackers to crack even one message because it would take all the time in the world to do that.
NTRU ensures that Cyph communications are secure from "Harves & Decrypt" attacks where messages are stored and decrypted once quantum computers become effective enough to interrupt crypto solutions. Cyph also uses an open-key cryptosystem that is 100% tamper-resistant and has zero recorded effective attacks and is resistant against quantum computing attacks, making their system guarded in the future as well.
3. Niltalk
Niltalk is a free online application that is used to produce password-protected forums. You don't need to register in order to use it; all you have to do is create a chat room and share the hyperlink for it so that your friends can join you in a secret convo. Once you're done, you can remove the chat as if it never existed.
Any member of the chatroom can get rid of the chats whenever they want to. This is a great option for when you just want to hold a short and encrypted convo with a group of people. All conversations on Niltalk happen over SSL (Secure Socket Layer), which means that it would never steal your IP address, messages, or any other data.
Secure, encrypted chat services are especially useful when you discuss credit card info on the internet. If someone hacks into your email, they can instantly get access to every info you ever disclosed including your sensitive, private, and bank information. If fallen into the wrong hands, this info can expose you to big risks.
How To Make Sure You Have a Secure Conversation
Due to the constantly increasing rate of surveillance, it has become almost impossible to have a secret convo nowadays. Even the apps and tools that promise a level of privacy are not 100% effective. So, if you want a completely private convo, you need to find an app or chat service that uses end-to-end encryption.
End-to-end encryption is important because, without it, no app or website can provide absolute privacy. End-to-end encryption makes it impossible for anyone to read your messages even if your data is being intercepted in transit. Only the recipient has the key password to read the encrypted messages. To ensure that your chat is truly private, you need to change the settings of your app to make sure that there’s no backup of your messages on the cloud.
It is important to mention that while encrypted chat services are effective for preventing people from viewing your internet data, they don't stop anyone from tracking your IP address to keep tabs on you or find your location. That is why you need to use a VPN or proxy server plus an end-to-end supporting messaging app.
Another safety measure you can take to ensure your chat's privacy is to set your messages to disappear after you've read them. This can stop anyone who has your phone from accessing your private conversations.
Quick Guide to Encrypted Communications
If you're wondering how encryption works to encrypt communications and why it is considered more secure, then this section will give you a brief on everything you need to know.
What encryption does is that it obscures messages to protect them from being accessed by unauthorized people. Encryption technology is based on an algorithm that blends the messages together using a unique key. When a message is encrypted, it becomes unreadable to anyone who doesn't have the key to access it. The message gets decrypted only when it reaches the recipient's device.
There are two types of encryption: partial and full encryption. Partial encryption encrypts only parts of your message which means that it doesn't provide absolute protection because hackers can piece together your convos using the bits of info gathered from the unencrypted data. Meanwhile, full encryption encrypts all your data is protected as soon as you send it until it is on the recipient's device.
Some types of encryption are more secure than others. These types include State Encryption Standard (DES), Triple DES, RSA, Advanced Encryption Standard (AES), and TwoFish encryption. So, of course, basic encryption is not as effective as advanced encryption protocols. The standard encryption for securing messaging platforms and VPN networks nowadays is the AES 256 bit encryption. However, some platforms run on 128-bit encryption.
FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)
Here are some of the questions that we frequently get about encrypted chat:
How do I encrypt my chat?
You can do that by using a chat platform that uses encryption. It's impossible to add encryption to an already-made massaging platform because the encryption algorithm needs to be part of the code that the service runs on.
Some apps offer encryption as a feature that you can turn on whenever you want while using the app.
What is the most secure chat app?
Cyph and Signal are the most secure chat apps in our opinion. However, there are many chat apps to choose from, and many of them are tight on security.
Is Google Messenger encrypted?
Unfortunately, Google Messenger does not provide end-to-end encryption. However, Google has recently announced that it has been testing full encryption lately, which is good news because there has been a lot of criticism of the Google Messages app because it might expose users to DNS attacks.
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What chat apps are encrypted?
Some of the most popular chat apps that offer encryption include Cyph, Signal, Telegram, WhatsApp, Viber, and Wire.
Conclusion
To conclude our article, we discussed why it is important to use encrypted chat services and how unsafe online messaging has become nowadays. We mentioned our three most recommended encrypted chat services; Cyph, Chatcrypt, and Niltalk.
Out of all three Cyph is the most secure and easy to use followed by Chatcrypt and then Niltalk. Cyph is designed to allow you to enjoy quick, safe, online messaging without having to go through the trouble of signing up. It comes with encryption and keeps your identity completely anonymous. Cyph doesn’t log any user data, so no one can track your online activity. One of the things that give Cyph an advantage over other services is that it is not only available as a web-based service but also an app.