Forget Zoom Use these applications instead , Zoom is so last week — which, in the time of coronavirus, might as well be last year. 

The videoconference tool that’s captured the nation’s attention as it socially distances and shelters in place has won legions of converts for its easy-to-use interface and fun backgrounds. It also happens to be a privacy nightmare. Thankfully, there are other options that cybersecurity and privacy experts say will get the job done — without the baggage. 

And yes, Zoom has a lot of baggage. Let’s start with the fact that the company has misrepresented the security of its videoconferencing service. The Intercept reported today that, despite telling users that “Zoom is using an end to end encrypted connection,” the company does not in fact end-to-end encrypt calls on its platform. 

“Currently, it is not possible to enable E2E encryption for Zoom video meetings,” a company spokesperson told the Intercept when pressed. 

Then there’s the fact that Zoom lets your boss monitor if you’re paying attention while in meetings, and shares your data with third parties. All in all, despite the company’s recent protestations to the contrary, Zoom has long failed to put privacy first. 

So where does that leave you?

FaceTime

This one may sound obvious, but it’s worth reiterating that FaceTime is better than Zoom. 

When asked over Twitter direct message about alternatives to Zoom, Patrick Wardle, a security researcher at Jamf and founder of Objective-See, had an immediate response. 

“For personal use, I’d recommend FaceTime, as Apple has a great record on making user privacy a priority and things like end-to-end encryption are a plus too,” he wrote. 

You can use FaceTime on an iOS device or macOS device, and an audio-only option is available. Despite a well-publicized bug last year, in general this is a private and secure way to chat with friends and family. 

“[Of] course,” added Wardle, “that’s limited to Apple devices though…”

Signal

Which brings us to Signal. 

You may know Signal as the smartphone messaging app that journalists and hackers use, but the free and open-source software is much more than that. There’s a desktop version in addition to its Android and iOS versions, and the mobile versions do way more than just let you securely message. You can also make voice and video calls, and everything is end-to-end encrypted. 

Wardle, for his part, is a big fan of Signal. 

Read more: mashable