You certainly pay attention to the World’s richest person Elon Musk and follow what he says you follow! Well, that’s what happened! When he tweeted about the new app called Signal and told people to switch from WhatsApp due to privacy concerns, people followed suit. The Signal is a messaging app and a more encrypted and safer app as per the Tesla CEO compared to WhatsApp.
There Is a Waiting Line at Signal
There are so many people waiting to join Signal that now there is almost await. The Edward Snowden endorsed app got a humungous boost, and Elon Musk also extended the support. Signal soon announced that the avalanche of downloads was having an unintended impact.
Musk’s tweet came after Signal and Telegram messaging apps saw a sudden demand spurt as WhatsApp’s updated terms of service created quite a hullaballoo on social media.
WhatsApp’s New Policies
WhatsApp uses a similar encryption technology as Signal laid out new terms. It asks users to let parent company Facebook Inc and its many subsidiaries collect the user data and share information such as their phone number and location. Many Twitter users opened a chain of discussion questioning the ‘accept it or move out,’ protocol followed by WhatsApp. Many privacy activists thought it best to switch to other apps such as Signal or Telegram.
Signal and Telegram as a Viable Option
Signal saw a major shoot in downloads as many as 1000,000 users installed Signal. across various app stores, including Apple and Google, and Telegram, followed in its wake as they picked up almost 2.2 million downloads as per Sensor Tower. (Data Analytics). In an immediate reaction, the new installs of WhatsApp fell by 11 percent in the first week of 2021 compared to last week.
However, although the percentage of downloads fell, it still rules the roost estimating 10.5 million downloads globally, Sensor Tower reports. At this veritable onslaught, verification codes are getting delayed as many new people are joining Signal! But Signal assures that they will resolve the niggling issues caused by backing up of registration attempts.
Musk’s Two-Word Tweet, “Use Signal.”
Musk’s Signal endorsement does make us hold that thought, though, as WhatsApp users are skeptical about sharing personal data with Facebook. However, according to PCMag. If an existing WhatsApp user opted out of it and refuses to share the data, Facebook will honor that opt-out option.
Also, Musk’s opinion on social media counts, and a wave of dissent followed on Twitter. His cryptic tweets need no introduction. A few months ago, he tweeted saying ‘Facebook Sucks,’ and another tweet a few weeks later saying, “Just don’t like Facebook,” followed by “Gives me the willies.”
More on Signal
The Signal Messaging app is part of a non-profit organization Signal Foundation. Moxie Marlinspike and Brian Acton, WhatsApp’s co-founders, are the founders and brains behind this app. Acton had initially invested $50 million, beginning with a no-interest loan. And this jumped to more than $105 million back in December 2018.
Signal now ranks number one in the App Store’s “Social Networking” category (free apps). And it is steadily eclipsing the other social networking giants who have been around for several years now.
Many are hailing Signal to be a better alternative as it does not gather any data linked to users. WhatsApp collects metadata. And it collects user data like location, display picture, operating system, and so on. We are currently unaware of how much data WhatsApp collects and stores. There’s ambiguity even on how the organization uses the data. And that’s where Signal is distant from Whatsapp. The messaging services put user privacy before everything else and do not collect or store data.
A Word From Whatsapp Makers
Currently, in the eye of a worldwide storm, WhatsApp is expecting users to agree to the new privacy policy of the app by February 8, 2021. Whatsapp is also working on developing a payment app, which might roll out for the users globally. And addressing the rumors on the privacy policy, the app organization retreated on Twitter. The tweet focused on the organization’s end-to-end text messaging and prioritizing user privacy.
With the Tesla CEO rooting for safer messaging apps like Signal over tech giants like Whatsapp and Facebook, we should see how things pan out. Things are heating up in the social networking world! We are wondering whether the newbie (David) will topple the old social networking giant (Goliath)? We have to wait and see!