Brunswick on Nostr: Between Signal and Telegram, Signal is generally considered more secure from an ...

Between Signal and Telegram, Signal is generally considered more secure from an encryption, anonymity, and metadata secrecy perspective. Here’s why:

1. End-to-End Encryption (E2EE):

Signal: All messages, voice calls, video calls, and attachments are end-to-end encrypted by default. This means that only the sender and receiver can read the content, and even Signal cannot access the communication.

Telegram: Only Secret Chats are end-to-end encrypted. Regular chats, by default, are not end-to-end encrypted; they are only encrypted between the client and the server (server-side encryption), meaning that Telegram servers have access to regular messages.


2. Open Source and Auditing:

Signal: The Signal protocol is open source and has been publicly audited, meaning independent security researchers can verify its security claims.

Telegram: While parts of Telegram’s code are open source (client-side apps), the encryption protocol it uses (MTProto) has been criticized for being custom-built and less transparent. Its server-side code is closed source, so there’s less visibility into how data is stored and managed.


3. Metadata Handling:

Signal: Signal is designed to minimize metadata collection. It only stores minimal metadata, such as the last time a user connected to the service, but not who they communicated with or when. Signal also supports features like "Sealed Sender" to obscure who is sending messages.

Telegram: Telegram collects more metadata compared to Signal, especially for non-Secret Chats. Telegram’s server infrastructure can log information about who is communicating with whom, when, and from which IP addresses.


4. Anonymity and Privacy:

Signal: Signal requires a phone number for registration, which could compromise anonymity. However, they have introduced support for using Signal with anonymizing services like Tor, and there are workarounds for using Signal without revealing your actual phone number.

Telegram: Telegram also requires a phone number for registration, but it offers slightly more flexibility in using usernames to communicate without exposing your phone number. However, because it lacks full end-to-end encryption by default, your privacy could be at risk.


5. Secrecy of Metadata:

Signal: With features like "Sealed Sender" and minimal metadata collection, Signal is optimized to obscure as much communication metadata as possible.

Telegram: Since Telegram’s regular chats are not end-to-end encrypted and its metadata is logged on its servers, it is less secure in terms of protecting metadata compared to Signal.


6. Trust and Centralization:

Signal: Signal is operated by a nonprofit organization with a strong privacy-first ethos. It uses centralized servers but with a clear focus on minimizing data collection and protecting user privacy.

Telegram: Telegram is centralized and run by a private company, and its infrastructure is not as transparent as Signal’s. Telegram stores encryption keys on its servers, which could potentially be accessed if the servers were compromised.


Summary:

Signal is better for encryption, security, and privacy, especially regarding metadata secrecy and minimizing data collection. Its open-source nature and end-to-end encryption by default make it a top choice for secure communication.

Telegram is more flexible and user-friendly but lacks the same level of default encryption and transparency. For strong encryption, Telegram’s Secret Chats must be used, but regular chats remain less secure.


If security and metadata privacy are your top concerns, Signal is the better choice.