Messengers
Molly privacy rating
Independent fork of the Signal Android app that connects to the Signal network and adds database encryption with a passphrase, UnifiedPush notifications and a Molly-FOSS build without proprietary Google components.
Summary
Molly scores 78 out of 100 (grade B) on the messengers criteria. It meets 5 of 8 criteria: open source, no trackers or telemetry, no ads or data sales, end-to-end encrypted by default and metadata protection. It partly meets no phone number needed. It does not meet independent audit and decentralized.
Score 78 out of 100. How scoring works
Criteria
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Yes
Open source Weight 3 of 3
Is all the source code needed to run the product public?
AGPL-3.0, and it uses the open-source Signal server.
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Yes
No trackers or telemetry Weight 3 of 3
Are the website and apps free of third-party trackers, with any analytics anonymous and any telemetry off by default?
No trackers or analytics; the Molly-FOSS build also removes proprietary Google components such as FCM and Google Maps.
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Yes
No ads or data sales Weight 2 of 3
Is the product funded without advertising, ad targeting or selling user data?
Free software with no ads, funded by donations through Open Collective.
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No
Independent audit Weight 2 of 3
Has an independent security or privacy audit been published within the last three years?
No independent audit is published.
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Yes
End-to-end encrypted by default Weight 3 of 3
Are all chats, including groups, end-to-end encrypted by default?
All messages and calls, including groups, use the Signal Protocol end to end.
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Partial
No phone number needed Weight 2 of 3
Can an account be created without a phone number?
A phone number is required to register a Signal account, but it is hidden by default and contacts can be reached by username.
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Yes
Metadata protection Weight 2 of 3
Does the service minimize who-talks-to-whom metadata (for example sealed sender or no user identifiers)?
Uses the Signal network, where sealed sender hides the sender from the server.
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No
Decentralized Weight 1 of 3
Can people run their own server or talk peer to peer?
Connects to the central Signal service.