Messengers
OpenPGP privacy rating
Open standard for public-key encryption and signing of messages and files, defined in RFC 9580. It adds end-to-end encryption to existing channels such as email, through implementations like GnuPG.
Summary
OpenPGP scores 78 out of 100 (grade B) on the messengers criteria. It meets 5 of 7 criteria: open source, no trackers or telemetry, no ads or data sales, no phone number needed and decentralized. It partly meets end-to-end encrypted by default. It does not meet metadata protection.
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?
Open IETF standard with open source implementations such as GnuPG (GPL-3.0).
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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?
The standard has no telemetry, and the GnuPG reference project states it does not track users or share data.
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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?
The reference implementation GnuPG is funded mainly by donations, with no ads.
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Partial
End-to-end encrypted by default Weight 3 of 3
Are all chats, including groups, end-to-end encrypted by default?
Messages are end-to-end encrypted only when both parties have keys and the sender chooses to encrypt; email is sent in plaintext by default.
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Yes
No phone number needed Weight 2 of 3
Can an account be created without a phone number?
There are no accounts; keys carry a user ID, usually an email address, and no phone number.
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No
Metadata protection Weight 2 of 3
Does the service minimize who-talks-to-whom metadata (for example sealed sender or no user identifiers)?
Encryption covers the message body only; senders, recipients and subject lines of the carrying channel stay visible.
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Yes
Decentralized Weight 1 of 3
Can people run their own server or talk peer to peer?
No central service; keys are generated locally and messages travel over any channel.