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Google vs Signal

Based on our analysis, Signal is the more privacy-respecting choice overall.

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CategoryGoogleSignal
OverallD · 26/100A · 87/100
What they collectConcern (8)Positive (88)
Who they share it withMixed (42)Positive (88)
What you can doMixed (58)Mixed (78)
What they promiseMixed (55)Positive (86)
In plain English — Google

Google tracks almost everything you do online — every search, email, location, video, and website visit — across all their products and millions of third-party sites, then uses it to sell ads. They do give you unusually good tools to review and delete your data, but the defaults collect everything.

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In plain English — Signal

Signal is a nonprofit that genuinely cannot read your messages or listen to your calls — the encryption is architectural, not a promise — but it requires a real phone number to register, is subject to US law, and its privacy policy is conspicuously sparse: it hasn't been substantively updated since 2018 and lacks the specific retention periods, GDPR rights, or DPO contact that more thorough policies provide.

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Privacy policies decoded, for free.

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