All the messages on WhatsApp between you and your counselor have end-to-end encryption. This ensures only you and the person you are communicating with can read what is sent. Nobody in between. Not even WhatsApp. End-to-end encryption means your communication is secured with locks. Only the recipient and you have the special keys needed to unlock and read your messages. For added protection, every message you send has a unique lock and key. All of this happens automatically. No need to turn on settings or set up special secret chats. Your messages, photos, videos, voice messages, documents, status updates and calls are secured from falling into the wrong hands.

Skype also uses encryption but of a lower level. Although it is highly unlikely that someone will listen in, routine monitoring by Microsoft and by government agencies is possible. For instant messages, Skype uses transport-level security (TLS) to encrypt messages between the Skype client and the chat service in the cloud, or AES (Advanced Encryption Standard, used by the US Government to protect sensitive information) when sent directly between two Skype clients. Voice messages are encrypted when they are delivered to you. However, after you have listened to a voice message, it is transferred from the Skype servers to your local machine, where it is stored as an unencrypted file.