Direct messaging through chat applications is often assumed to be a private affair, yet the reality is more complex. Conversations and data can be utilized for advertising and AI training, and may also be shared with law enforcement and intelligence agencies. Additionally, users may find themselves targeted by strangers or scammers impersonating trusted contacts. Social engineering tactics can further compromise accounts, allowing attackers to access real-time chats.
In light of these concerns, the experts at Incogni undertook a thorough analysis to determine which messaging services offer the highest levels of privacy. Their extensive study evaluated 15 social networks and messaging apps across 18 criteria, culminating in the Social Media Privacy Ranking 2025. This article will delve into the privacy scores of various messaging platforms, focusing on the most relevant evaluation criteria.
Overall privacy rankings
Incogni’s comprehensive analysis produced a privacy ranking, where a lower score indicates better privacy practices:
- Discord: 10.23
- Telegram: 13.08
- Snapchat: 13.39
- Facebook Messenger: 22.22
- WhatsApp: 23.17
However, a deeper examination of the criteria that matter most reveals a different narrative. Incogni’s study considered factors such as fines for data retention violations, past hacks, the clarity of privacy policies, and the time required to delete data after an account closure request. Practical criteria included the types of data collected, default privacy levels, visibility of user data to non-contacts, and the use of user data for AI training. Notably, the response rates to government requests for user information also play a significant role in the privacy landscape.
When focusing solely on these practical categories, the rankings shift considerably:
- Telegram: 4.23
- Snapchat: 7.72
- Discord: 8.14
- WhatsApp: 11.93
- Facebook Messenger: 13.37
WhatsApp received a penalty of 3.4 points due to the potential use of chats for AI training, although users currently cannot opt out of this practice. It’s important to note that this applies only to interactions with Meta’s AI assistant, while other chats remain protected by end-to-end encryption. Thus, a revised score for WhatsApp could be 8.53, which narrows the gap between it and the leading trio.
Private by default
Applications that prioritize user privacy typically configure all security and privacy settings to be safe and private upon installation, allowing users to adjust these settings as they see fit. Both Telegram and Snapchat exemplify this approach. In contrast, Discord’s default settings are less private, while Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp rank lower in this regard. Furthermore, Telegram and Snapchat offer the most comprehensive privacy settings among the evaluated platforms.
For those seeking guidance on enhancing privacy, detailed setup guides for Telegram, WhatsApp, and Discord are available, along with privacy configuration tips for various other apps and devices on our free Privacy Checker portal.
Secure against strangers
Limiting the visibility of personal information to strangers is essential for maintaining both privacy and safety. This measure helps to reduce the risks of scams, spam, stalking, and other threats. In this regard, Telegram and WhatsApp share the top position, providing the most secure accounts, while Facebook Messenger and Snapchat follow closely behind. Discord, however, ranks lower in this critical area.
Cooperating with authorities
When it comes to compliance with government requests for personal data, Telegram does not disclose the percentage of requests it grants, although it is known to approve some. Snapchat has the highest approval rate at 82%, followed by Meta’s services at 78%, with Discord not far behind at 77.4%.
Collecting data for advertising and other purposes
All platforms collect varying amounts of user information, including socio-demographic data and preferences. The study differentiated between general data collection based on privacy policies and mobile-app data collection derived from app store disclosures. In terms of general data collection, Telegram and WhatsApp emerged as leaders with the least amount of data collected, while Discord, Snapchat, and Facebook Messenger ranked lower. For mobile-app data collection, Telegram again took the lead, followed by WhatsApp, Discord, Snapchat, and Facebook Messenger.
Which messaging app is best?
Among the reviewed platforms, Telegram stands out for collecting the least amount of data while offering a wide array of privacy settings. Although Discord ranks well overall due to limited data collection and a clean record regarding privacy fines, it lacks robust default privacy settings. WhatsApp excels in protecting users from strangers and maintains a relatively modest data collection profile.
It is worth noting that this ranking focuses on mainstream applications; niche messaging apps that prioritize privacy were not included in the analysis. For truly confidential conversations, dedicated private messaging apps are recommended. Furthermore, Incogni did not assess encryption levels; only WhatsApp provides full end-to-end encryption for all chats by default, a crucial factor since Telegram does not guarantee message privacy by default.
Lastly, it’s important to remember that the security levels discussed pertain solely to the official mobile clients of these messaging services. Desktop versions often exhibit greater vulnerabilities due to their architecture. Users are advised to avoid third-party clients or modified versions, as these can pose significant security risks. For Android users, Kaspersky for Android is a recommended solution to safeguard against malicious applications, especially after its recent update, which blocks phishing and harmful links across all notifications.
Messaging apps today arguably hold the maximum amount of private information about each of us. To avoid becoming a victim of a data leak, read our other posts:
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