WhatsApp’s privacy policy pushes users to Signal, Telegram

WhatsApp’s new terms and conditions by which users have to consent to sharing data with Facebook or lose their accounts, has pushed many people to apps such as Signal and Telegram. Earlier this week, Facebook-owned WhatsApp said that it will now share user data across Facebook and the companies it owns. This includes Facebook Payments Inc and Facebook Payments International Limited, Onavo, Facebook Technologies, LLC and Facebook Technologies Ireland Limited, WhatsApp Inc. and WhatsApp Ireland Limited, and CrowdTangle.

WhatsApp’s new terms and privacy policy take effect on February 8, 2021, and users have until then to accept these updates. A user will need to accept these updates to continue using WhatsApp, the platform said.

Signal has announced that it has a record level of downloads for the app around the world. “Between WhatsApp announcing they would be sharing everything with the Facebook mothership and the Apple privacy labels that allowed people to compare us to other popular messengers, it seems like many people are interested in private communication,” it said.

After this, Signal’s verification codes were delayed across several providers because of the number of people trying to join the network. Tesla CEO Elon Musk also tweeted, ‘Use Signal’.

On Wednesday, it saw 2,200 people installing the app, up from 1,600 in the preceding week as per SensorTower data.

On the Apple App Store, Signal became the top free app.