<p>In the past several months, WhatsApp has come under the scanner for its poor user privacy security and it got worse after news emerged that Amazon founder and worlds' richest man Jeff Bezos' mobile got hacked via malware sent on WhatsApp.</p>.<p>If you are looking for an alternative that promises better encryption of messages, then Sessions is said to one of the best messenger apps in the market.</p>.<p><strong>Sessions messenger app: Key features you should know</strong><br />Sessions app is developed by Loki Foundation, an Australia-based not-for-profit private technology organisation. Formally launched in February 2020, Sessions is an open-source, public-key-based secure messaging application.</p>.<p>1) Unlike other messenger apps, Sessions doesn't need a mobile number nor an email ID to work. It creates random Sessions ID and works as a fully anonymous account. The user just needs to share Sessions ID code with the person in the contact and start chatting without worrying about getting snooped on. People can share voice snippets, photos, and files with sizes up to 10MB with friends and family. Yes, it has group chat options, but it is limited to 10 persons </p>.<p>2) In the Sessions app, the device IP addresses are never exposed to the person you're talking to or the servers holding your data</p>.<p>3) All the messages sent to the recipient. It is stored in a 'swarm' of the latter's account. A swarm is a collection of 5 - 7 Service Nodes which are responsible for the storage of messages for a predefined range of Session ID’s. Swarms ensure that the messages are replicated across multiple servers on the network so that if one Service Node goes offline, the messages are not lost. Swarms make Session’s decentralised network backend much more robust and fault-tolerant</p>.<p>4) Sessions app makes uses of the Onion routing network. It is a network of nodes over which users can send anonymous encrypted messages. Onion networks encrypt messages with multiple layers of encryption, then send them through a number of nodes. Each node ‘unwraps’ (decrypts) a layer of encryption, meaning that no single node ever knows both the destination and origin of the message. Session uses onion routing to ensure that a server which receives a message never knows the IP address of the sender</p>.<p>Must read | <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/international/world-news-politics/amazon-ceo-jeff-bezos-phone-hacked-by-saudi-crown-prince-mohammad-bin-salman-report-796991.html" target="_blank">Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos' phone 'hacked'</a></p>.<p>5)If a person loses their phone, criminals won't be able to access the information inside the Session app, it allows owners to encrypt their local Session database with a PIN code. With this feature turned on, your messages cannot be accessed without knowing your PIN code</p>.<p>6)Less likely to have a data breach, as Sessions never store messages or any files exchanged between two individuals or in group chats. Also, it uses the company's in-house Loki blockchain, which hosts just the service nodes to create connection and there are no master nodes.</p>.<p>7)Another interesting aspect of the Sessions app is it can never be censored or banned by any country. Since it has no central point of failure, its harder to shut Session down, the company claims.</p>.<p>8)Also, users can set time for a message sent to a person and get deleted after the expiry of the set time. Yes, the user can no, whether the message is read by the person on the other side or not.</p>.<p>9) There is Safety match feature for the users to verify the person on the other side is not a fake account. Only after matching the safety number, users can initiate chat sessions.</p>.<p>10) Sessions app is now available for free download on Apple App Store (for iPhones/iPads/Macs), Google Play (for Android devices), Microsoft Store for Windows PCs and there is even one for Linux platform too (<a href="http:// https://getsession.org/" target="_blank">here</a>).</p>.<p><em>Get the latest news on new launches, gadget reviews, apps, cyber security and more on personal technology only on <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/tag/dh-tech" target="_blank">DH Tech</a>.</em> </p>
<p>In the past several months, WhatsApp has come under the scanner for its poor user privacy security and it got worse after news emerged that Amazon founder and worlds' richest man Jeff Bezos' mobile got hacked via malware sent on WhatsApp.</p>.<p>If you are looking for an alternative that promises better encryption of messages, then Sessions is said to one of the best messenger apps in the market.</p>.<p><strong>Sessions messenger app: Key features you should know</strong><br />Sessions app is developed by Loki Foundation, an Australia-based not-for-profit private technology organisation. Formally launched in February 2020, Sessions is an open-source, public-key-based secure messaging application.</p>.<p>1) Unlike other messenger apps, Sessions doesn't need a mobile number nor an email ID to work. It creates random Sessions ID and works as a fully anonymous account. The user just needs to share Sessions ID code with the person in the contact and start chatting without worrying about getting snooped on. People can share voice snippets, photos, and files with sizes up to 10MB with friends and family. Yes, it has group chat options, but it is limited to 10 persons </p>.<p>2) In the Sessions app, the device IP addresses are never exposed to the person you're talking to or the servers holding your data</p>.<p>3) All the messages sent to the recipient. It is stored in a 'swarm' of the latter's account. A swarm is a collection of 5 - 7 Service Nodes which are responsible for the storage of messages for a predefined range of Session ID’s. Swarms ensure that the messages are replicated across multiple servers on the network so that if one Service Node goes offline, the messages are not lost. Swarms make Session’s decentralised network backend much more robust and fault-tolerant</p>.<p>4) Sessions app makes uses of the Onion routing network. It is a network of nodes over which users can send anonymous encrypted messages. Onion networks encrypt messages with multiple layers of encryption, then send them through a number of nodes. Each node ‘unwraps’ (decrypts) a layer of encryption, meaning that no single node ever knows both the destination and origin of the message. Session uses onion routing to ensure that a server which receives a message never knows the IP address of the sender</p>.<p>Must read | <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/international/world-news-politics/amazon-ceo-jeff-bezos-phone-hacked-by-saudi-crown-prince-mohammad-bin-salman-report-796991.html" target="_blank">Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos' phone 'hacked'</a></p>.<p>5)If a person loses their phone, criminals won't be able to access the information inside the Session app, it allows owners to encrypt their local Session database with a PIN code. With this feature turned on, your messages cannot be accessed without knowing your PIN code</p>.<p>6)Less likely to have a data breach, as Sessions never store messages or any files exchanged between two individuals or in group chats. Also, it uses the company's in-house Loki blockchain, which hosts just the service nodes to create connection and there are no master nodes.</p>.<p>7)Another interesting aspect of the Sessions app is it can never be censored or banned by any country. Since it has no central point of failure, its harder to shut Session down, the company claims.</p>.<p>8)Also, users can set time for a message sent to a person and get deleted after the expiry of the set time. Yes, the user can no, whether the message is read by the person on the other side or not.</p>.<p>9) There is Safety match feature for the users to verify the person on the other side is not a fake account. Only after matching the safety number, users can initiate chat sessions.</p>.<p>10) Sessions app is now available for free download on Apple App Store (for iPhones/iPads/Macs), Google Play (for Android devices), Microsoft Store for Windows PCs and there is even one for Linux platform too (<a href="http:// https://getsession.org/" target="_blank">here</a>).</p>.<p><em>Get the latest news on new launches, gadget reviews, apps, cyber security and more on personal technology only on <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/tag/dh-tech" target="_blank">DH Tech</a>.</em> </p>
