Ramp up the effort
Now that you're serious about it, add these changes to enhance your security.
Get Better Messaging Apps
Folks recommend a number of messaging apps to replace text messages for your private conversations. Signal, WhatsApp, XMPP clients using private XMPP servers.
XMPP is great but that's not going to get your friends and family to use it.
To help you choose Signal over WhatsApp I'll just include contrasting quotes from Meredith Whittaker and Mark Zuckerberg when it comes to AI adoption.
I think in the future, if you don’t have glasses that have AI, or some way to interact with AI, I think you’re kind of similarly probably be at a pretty significant cognitive disadvantage compared to other people.
vs
There’s a profound issue with security and privacy that is haunting this hype around agents, and that is ultimately threatening to break the blood-brain barrier between the application layer and the OS layer by conjoining all of these separate services.
Combine that general vibe with Meta moving into monetizing messaging, adding realtime services such as translation that require sending your message to their cloud servers, and the general authoritarian-friendly stance Meta has nowadays, the choie is easy.
Good
Good, but adoption may be harder
Conversations on Android. Conversations is also available on f-droid for what it's worth.
Users also need to choose which XMPP server to use. That's why adoption may be harder than Signal.
Of course there are XMPP clients other than Conversations. Your iPhone family could use one of those XMPP iOS Clients.
Or you could use Signal.
Avoid
SMS regardless of RCS, WhatsApp, Discord, any social media app direct messages including Bluesky, X, Facebook, Patreon.
Matrix seems like it could be a good option but the early adopters have given the ecosystem a bad rep.
VPN
VPN choice is very subjective depending on where you're at and who's in your business.
It's also important to note what security researcher Marcus Hutchins has to say about apps running in the background revealing your identity regardless of your current IP address. Use an app like SuperFreezZ to close all other apps.
Good
or depending on your location, another No logs, Diskless, No analytics provider from Techlore's VPN comparison list.
Avoid
- VPNs advertised on YouTube
- VPNs you find in search on the Google Play or Apple App stores
- VPNs integrated into a browser
- VPNs that came with a sketchy off-brand device