WhatsApp Users Flee to Signal, and Telegram after the privacy policy update

by Alicia Brown Application Developer

It seems one man’s gain is another man’s loss. After the privacy policy update of the Facebook-owned messaging app came out, it received severe backlash for violating data rights. However, there has been a major surge in downloads of privacy-oriented messaging apps such as Signal, and Telegram.

Users have started looking for alternatives to WhatsApp due to concerns over the service’s privacy policy. It was reported by Apptopia, Signal saw approximately 7.5 million installs globally between January 6 and January 10 whereas Telegram saw 5.6 million downloads from Wednesday to Sunday. The appealing feature of Signal is that it claims to have, “state of the art end-to-end encryption,” which means your messages can only be read by the person you sent them to.

The surge in downloads of the above-mentioned apps is directly related to WhatsApp’s privacy policy update on January 4. In the past, Users could opt-out of data sharing with Facebook, unfortunately, that is no longer the case. From February 8, all users have to accept the policies or their account will get deleted. However, Users in Europe and the UK will see a different policy due to data protection rules in those jurisdictions.

WhatsApp responded to the backlash with a tweet claiming that user’s messages are still encrypted. On Monday, a statement was released stating, this update does not affect the privacy of messages sent to friends and family. It clarified that the update will include, “changes related to messaging a business on WhatsApp, which is optional, and provides further transparency about how do we collect and use data.” The data shared with Facebook will be used to help improve the application, promote safety and security, and refine the service by added personalized features.

Meanwhile, Signal reported via Twitter that the verification codes were delayed due to the high demand. The statement said, “We continue to shatter traffic records and add capacity as more and more people come to terms with how much they dislike Facebook’s new terms,” Signal said in a tweet. “If you weren’t able to create a new group recently, please try again. New servers are ready to serve you.”

The backlash and outcries seem not to have affected WhatsApp. The small number of people who have moved to Signal or Telegram may still have WhatsApp installed since most of their family members and friends are still on there. It is possible users still use WhatsApp and has private conversations on the other applications. It is unclear as of now if WhatsApp will become redundant due to its new privacy policy.

The current situation is evidence of how the application has become a vital mode of communication hence it will be quite difficult to boycott completely. A popular option could be to use WhatsApp for chats with family and friends while chats that contain sensitive information will be done on the encrypted messaging application such as Signal and Telegram.