Apple’s iMessage Is More Secure Than Google’s Hangouts

Online security and data encryption technology has never been more important. It is something that most people are now aware of and it is often on their mind whenever they use the internet. We all send so much information every single day and we often forget that it might not be as secure as we would like it to be. This is a very modern problem and one that won’t be going away.

Apple have always said that their iMessage features end-to-end encryption that should theoretically stop third-parties from listening in on your conversations. Google on the other hand has been very tightlipped about what encryption they use for their messaging service, Hangouts. Until now that is.

Speaking at a recent Reddit AMA – Ask Me Anything, Google security executives Richard Salgado and David Lieber fielded questions from the public, and The American Civil Liberties Union’s top technologist Christopher Soghoian couldn’t help but take advantage of this opportunity. His question to them was, “Why has Google refused to be transparent about its ability to provide wiretaps for Hangouts?” He went on to say that, “Given Google’s rather impressive track record regarding surveillance transparency, the total secrecy regarding the company’s surveillance capabilities for this product is quite unusual.”

The answer that was given from Salgado was simply that, “Hangouts are encrypted in transit.” What this means is that, theoretically at least, Google has complete access to what goes out via Hangouts because it is only encrypted on its way to Google’s servers. Once it gets there, it’s an open season as pointed out by Reddit user reddit_poly.

For those reading this that are not technically minded, this means that Hangouts are only encrypted on their way between your computer and Google’s servers. Once they arrive at Google’s end, Google has full access. In short, this is confirmation Google CAN wiretrap Hangouts.

Google has since confirmed the statement that Hangouts does not use the more secure end-to-end encryption which may set a number of red flags flying for those who are concerned about their privacy. If this concerns you, we suggest not using Hangouts or, at the very least, being particularly careful about what information you send using this service.