Security researchers have found that the 36-year-old multimillionaire uses Signal – a messaging app recommended by whistleblower Edward Snowden and others, to objectively protect the privacy of its users.
The only reason we know is because Zuckerberg, who reportedly spent $ 30 million (£ 18.8 million) buying the four homes that are next to his own California home for added privacy, is profiling Signal has is that its data was among the leaked data discovered by 533 million Facebook users over the Easter holiday weekend. Zuckerberg’s location, marriage details, date of birth, Facebook user ID and phone number have been removed from his private Facebook profile and shared by hackers.
Cloud security specialist Dave Walker used the phone number leaked from Zuckerberg’s account to verify that an account was registered with Signal on his behalf.
Walker tweeted about his discovery, writing, “In another twist of events, Mark Zuckerberg also respects his privacy by using a chat app that has end-to-end encryption and is not owned by @facebook. This is the number associated with his account from the last Facebook leak. “
For those who don’t know, Signal is a very popular WhatsApp alternative. That’s because it has a pretty strict stance on privacy – not only is it end-to-end encrypted like WhatsApp, but its code is open source.
This means that everyone is able to review their practices and make suggestions. Unlike WhatsApp, which requires users to trust Facebook to be true to its word (and not make any honest mistakes), privacy professionals can review Signal’s code for themselves, suggest improvements, and then recheck that the company did so the promised optimizations.
Because of the open source nature of Signal, Signal is one of the most trusted and secure messaging apps in the world. Whistleblower Edward Snowden previously announced that he is using the app as well as Twitter creator Jack Dorsey.
However, this ironclad security does not mean that signal users lose functionality. When you first open the app, you’ll find a very similar selection of features to WhatsApp, including group chats, voice messages, and video calling with up to eight participants, GIFs, stickers, and more. Best of all, Signal is completely free to use. The app is operated by an independent nonprofit that relies on donations, so you can support Signal with as much as you can afford.
And best of all? Unlike WhatsApp, Signal has an official iPad app!
Perhaps this is why Zuckerberg decided to use Signal for his private communications with friends and family.
