Communication security

You should stop using Facebook Messenger until it proves it's worthy of your trust

There's no shortage of ways to text your friends and family for free. You can choose from WhatsApp, Skype, Google Hangouts, Signal, Telegram, Apple's iMessage, or literally scores of other options.

But the messaging app you're probably using is the worst choice.

Facebook Messenger is a juggernaut, with more than 1.2 billion users. Chances are your family and friends have it installed on their phones. That makes it incredibly useful — after all, the value of any messaging app is directly tied to how many of your contacts also use it.

And that's exactly the problem with Messenger. The app takes its massive user base for granted. As revelations over the past weeks and months have made clear, Facebook has its own set of rules for your Messenger inbox. Whether or not you like those rules is irrelevant.

For Messenger, users are essentially a captive audience rather than customers that it feels the need to satisfy and fight for.

Messenger needs to earn your trust

In many ways, your private messages sent through Facebook are property of Facebook. Menlo Park can scan the photos and links you send, hand them over to the cops, and even delete some messages from inside your inbox without your permission.