Secure Messaging Scorecard: After the revelations of Snowden, the online community has begun to worry more and more about protecting privacy. Security and the protection of our private life require secure applications from trustworthy companies, something that seems very difficult after the news from Snowden. 
The Electronic Frontier Foundation, recognizing the importance of a secure messaging app, in collaboration with ProPublica and the Princeton Center for Information Technology Policy, announced a project they call the “Secure Messaging Scorecard,” which is much more secure than the most popular messaging apps. See AIM, Skype, but also CryptoCat and WhatsApp.
The application provides
- Messages encrypted in transit.
- Messages encrypted so that the provider cannot read them.
- The user can verify the identity of their contacts
- All stored messages are secure even if the user's encryption keys have been stolen.
- The application's code is open for any audit.
- Security is documented
- The application's code has already been reviewed.
And of course, above all, it is an EFF project.
The EFF states on its page that the «security level» and the «ease of use» often clash and are factors that do not encourage the general public to use secure communication methods. However, looking at what the new application offers, there are no excuses. All known applications — such as Google Hangouts, Viber, Facebook Chat, Skype etc. – appear to be largely insecure. The EFF hopes that the Secure Messaging Scorecard application will bring innovation for strong cryptographic digital communications.”
You can access the EFF's Secure Messaging Scorecard project here.
View the tests
| Encrypted in transit? | Encrypted so the provider can’t read it? | Can you verify contacts’ identities? | Are past com-munications secure if your keys are stolen? | Is the code open to independent review? | Is security design properly documented? | Has the code been audited? |
|---|
| Encrypted in transit? | Encrypted so the provider can’t read it? | Can you verify contacts’ identities? | Are past com-munications secure if your keys are stolen? | Is the code open to independent review? | Is security design properly documented? | Has the code been audited? | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AIM |  |  | | | | | |
| BlackBerry Messenger | | | | | | | |
| BlackBerry Protected | | | | | | | |
| ChatSecure + Orbot | | | | | | | |
| CryptoCat | | | | | | | |
| Ebuddy XMS | | | | | | | |
| Facebook chat | | | | | | | |
| FaceTime | | | | | | | |
| Google Hangouts/Chat “off the record” | | | | | | | |
| Hushmail | | | | | | | |
| iMessage | | | | | | | |
| iPGMail | | | | | | | |
| Jitsi + Ostel | | | | | | | |
| Kik Messenger | | | | | | | |
| Mailvelope | | | | | | | |
| Mxit | | | | | | | |
| Off-The-Record Messaging for Mac (Adium) | | | | | | | |
| Off-The-Record Messaging for Windows (Pidgin) | | | | | | | |
| PGP for Mac (GPGTools) | | | | | | | |
| PGP for Windows Gpg4win | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | |
| RetroShare | | | | | | | |
| Secret | | | | | | | |
| Signal / RedPhone | | | | | | | |
| Silent Phone | | | | | | | |
| Silent Text | | | | | | | |
| Skype | | | | | | | |
