We reviewed 15 top video call apps for privacy and security features. Here’s what we learned.
| | | | | | | *Privacy Not Included: Video Call Apps Special Edition See the Guide Hello, A few weeks back we asked you what you needed most from us right now. The number one response we heard was a review of the video call apps we're using more now to connect with friends and family, work remotely, and see a doctor. We heard you and today we are happy to launch our *Privacy Not Included Video Call Apps Special Edition. We reviewed the privacy and security of 15 popular video call apps. From common apps like Zoom, Skype, WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger and Messenger Kids, to business focused apps like Microsoft Teams and GoToMeeting, to open source apps like Signal and Jitsi Meet. We even reviewed Doxy.me — a very popular telemedicine app used by doctors and therapists that failed to meet our Minimum Security Standards. See our reviews Here's what we learned. Great apps for one-to-one video calls
FaceTime and Signal are great because of their ease of use and strong privacy and security features. Brady Bunch-style apps we like
Skype, Google Hangouts, Jitsi Meet and — yes — Zoom do a good job with video quality, have free options, and can let users join meetings without needing to sign up for the service. An app that really worries us
Doxy.me is a telemedicine app used by doctors and therapists to meet with patients that failed our Minimum Security Standards. Our researcher was able to login with the weak password "123." Very concerning for an app that handles such sensitive calls. App we probably wouldn't use ourselves
Houseparty is a popular app that lets people hang out, video chat, and even play games. It also doesn't do a lot to protect users from having their private video chats crashed by people they don't know. And it sucks up a whole lot of your personal information to use and share with third parties. Open source apps are great alternatives
We found the open source apps Jitsi Meet and Signal to be great alternatives to the popular video call apps. They are worth a look because of their strong security, they are free, and they aren't trying to capture your data to make money off you. See the guide Thank you for suggesting we review these video call apps. We are happy we could give you something you can use right now to feel a little safer. It's one more reminder we're all in this struggle together. Thank you, Ashley and Jen
Mozilla P.S. During this global pandemic, a healthy internet to keep us all connected is more vital than ever before. If you support Mozilla's mission to keep the web open and healthy as a global public resource, would you consider a small donation to support our work? Thank you! | | |
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