How to Keep Your Private Conversations Private

As our lives become increasingly digital, it’s crucial to understand who has access to our conversations and online activities—and how to protect our privacy in an interconnected world.

Following the recent actions of billionaire Elon Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency, journalists have urged federal employees to communicate securely using encrypted platforms, such as the messaging app Signal.

Signal is one of several easy-to-use tools that not only help secure discussions with reporters, but can also be used to communicate safely with colleagues, research legal information, or even chat privately with friends.

Use Personal Devices and Networks

Anything you do on a work computer or phone is likely visible to your employer, as they have the right to monitor company-owned devices.

“You need to consider who might have access to your communications, especially if you’re concerned about retaliation for your discussions,” said Daniel Khan Gillmor, a senior staff technologist at the ACLU’s Speech, Privacy, and Technology Project.

To ensure your privacy, it’s best to use a personal device for private conversations and searches. This also applies to using your employer’s Wi-Fi network, as they may be able to track your communications. Keep personal discussions and online activities to your home network or personal phone plan.

On a work Wi-Fi network, “they might not know the details of your conversations, but they can see who you’re communicating with,” said Gillmor.

Signal: The Gold Standard in Privacy

There are several messaging platforms that offer encryption services, like iMessage and WhatsApp, but experts agree that Signal stands out as the best choice for privacy.

Signal is a messaging app for texting and calling that is owned by a non-profit organization. By default, the app uses end-to-end encryption, meaning that only the sender and receiver can see the content of the conversation, keeping it secure from third parties.

“If you show up with a warrant or subpoena to Signal, they can’t provide much information because they don’t store it,” said Eva Galperin, director of cybersecurity at the Electronic Frontier Foundation. On non-encrypted platforms, employers or law enforcement could potentially force companies to hand over user data.

While many apps offer encryption, Signal takes privacy a step further. Unlike WhatsApp, which may still have access to user contacts and other non-encrypted data, Signal cannot access any of that information, according to Gillmor.

To enhance privacy, experts recommend enabling the “disappearing messages” feature, which automatically deletes conversations after a set time, so messages are erased even if someone else gains access to your phone.

Tor Browser: Ultimate Privacy for Internet Browsing

Many people are familiar with VPNs (Virtual Private Networks), which create a private tunnel between your device and the internet, hiding your location and internet traffic.

While VPNs can provide privacy, the VPN provider itself could potentially be forced to disclose information about your activity. “When using a VPN, the provider sees all your traffic and can be subpoenaed for it,” said Galperin.

For the highest level of security, experts recommend using Tor, a browser that works similarly to Firefox or Safari but routes internet traffic through a global network of “nodes.” This makes it difficult for anyone to track your activity through a single access point. Tor also hides your IP address from websites, preventing identification.

“If you use Tor, and someone later subpoenas Google for search data from your home computer, they won’t find any trace of searches like ‘how to leak to journalists,’” said Galperin. Many news organizations also use SecureDrop, which allows secure, anonymous communication with journalists over Tor.

Additional Best Practices

Some organizations employ aggressive tactics to identify employees who leak sensitive information, such as watermarking emails or sending slightly different versions to each recipient.

To safeguard against this, experts advise being cautious when sharing or forwarding emails, screenshots, or documents. Printed materials might also contain “printer dots,” invisible codes that can trace the time, date, and location where something was printed.

Remember, sharing confidential information or violating a non-disclosure agreement could lead to legal consequences if you’re identified.

Despite these risks, Gillmor emphasizes that it’s still wise to establish secure communication channels with colleagues or friends.

“Protecting our rights is a collective effort,” said Gillmor. “Even if you never need to use these methods in a dramatic way, learning how to use them—and helping others do the same—is still a positive step.”

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