Your cloud chat app is not private. Here's why

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Many users believe that end-to-end encryption will make their chats private, and no one outside of those chats, not even the vendor, can read or listen to them.

Still, this is not the truth, and here is why:

  • Offline messages are stored on the messaging app's servers until they are delivered.
  • The app tracks metadata: who a user talked to, what time they messaged, IP address (location), how long a user was active, and what device was used.
  • Leakage through third-party apps integration: each integration is a trapdoor. If an integrated app gets hacked, the hacker might gain access to the channel's message history.
  • Encryption works only while the message is being delivered. Once the message arrives on a phone or laptop, it is decrypted so a recipient can read it. E2EE is like a bulletproof armored truck. It's very safe on the road, but if the doors at either end are left wide open, the truck doesn't matter. If the recipient's device has malware (like a keylogger or screen-scraper), an attacker can spy on communication.
  • Unencrypted backups. This is the most common way of exposing private chats. Many vendors make automated backups to Google Drive or iCloud.

What is the difference between privacy and security?

Security is the infrastructure that ensures your data isn't stolen by a third party. When an app is secure, it uses:

  • Encryption in transit. Messages are scrambled as they travel across the internet.
  • Multi-factor authentication (MFA). Even if a hacker steals a password, they can't get in without a physical phone or a security key.
  • Hardened servers. Companies use firewalls and security testers to ensure their digital walls are tall enough to keep intruders out.

Privacy is a policy and architectural choice. It determines whether the company providing the service can get access to your data, even if their security is perfect.

  • End-to-End Encryption (E2EE). This is the ultimate privacy tool. It ensures the service provider doesn't have any possibility of reading your messages.
  • Zero-Knowledge Architecture. The provider designs the system so they physically cannot see files or search chat history.
  • Metadata minimization. A truly private app doesn't just hide words in chat. It doesn't even record who the conversation was with and when.

Security in a messaging app protects the "pipe" through which data flows, while privacy protects from the people who built the pipe.

Why is a self-hosted chat app more private than a cloud chat app?

In 2025, most companies choose the chat app not because of available features, nice emojis or a rich set of integrations. Their choice is data sovereignty. If you use a cloud chat app, you are a tenant in someone else's building. If you use a self-hosted app, like Virola Messenger, you own the building and the keys to the front door.

Cloud chat apps are subject to the laws of the country where the provider is headquartered, whereas a self-hosted chat app allows companies to choose exactly where their servers are located. If your server is located in your office or a local data center, it is subject only to your local laws. This is why self-hosting is the primary way to achieve 100% GDPR or HIPAA compliance without trusting a third party's claims.

No matter how secure a cloud app is, it still tracks metadata to improve its service or train its AI. This way, a provider knows your organization's internal hierarchy and communication patterns just by looking at the message logs. With a self-hosted chat app, metadata never leaves the company's servers.

AI training is another aspect of cloud chat apps development. In 2025, many cloud providers have updated their terms of service to allow them to use data to train their Large Language Models (LLMs). With self-hosted chat apps, all communication never leaves the company's servers.

Self-hosted chat apps are more customizable in terms of security. Companies can layer their own specialized security. They can hide their chat server behind a VPN or run the entire system on a private network with no connection to the public Internet.

The bottom line

If your organization handles sensitive intellectual property or trade secrets, operates in highly regulated industries, like defense, healthcare, finance, or requires absolute anonymity from the service provider, self-hosted chat apps will be the right choice for communication and collaboration.