WhatsApp Users Are Pushing Friends And Family Members To Join Signal App: Why?
The Backlash Suffered By WhatsApp Due to Their Recent Privacy Policy Is Due To Distrust in Its Parent Firm, Facebook
When the worldwide clientele of the social messaging application WhatsApp began to start panicking about the new set of privacy policy revealed by the firm, millions of people started converting to other available messaging apps and also started encouraging their friends and family members to convert to another chat service named Signal App to maintain privacy.
Shifting to Signal App
The uproar increased after Edward Snowden was able t leak sensitive classified documents, including information that highlights the United States program of mass surveillance. Despite multiple news on the media regarding possible disclosure of private personal information from the WhatsApp application, millions of people are still using the messaging app for daily exchanging of messages between friends and family.
There are numerous families among the exodus of millions of WhatsApp users who are currently bolting from the global messaging application owned by Facebook to other free messaging services like Signal App and telegram, which are being observed as secured alternatives.
Despite rumors of possible leakage of sensitive data from WhatsApp, the move to other alternatives like Signal App is not easy, as most of the people gravitate towards this application as most of their family and friends are currently using it, and switching to Signal App or any other would not make any significant change.
In south-eastern countries like Pakistan and India, where the largest market for WhatsApp exists, making a switch to any other application is a very tough task due to WhatsApp’s enormous reach as compared to Signal app.
Although after the recent change in their privacy policy, which sparked various rumors and controversies regarding WhatsApp, millions of people worldwide shifted to Signal App. It has been reported that the telegram app has been able to surpass 500 million active users on their platform, as more than 25 million news users joined the messaging app within the time duration of 72 hours and around 100 million new users in the entire month of January 2021.
Update of the privacy policy of WhatsApp
The WhatsApp messenger application was bought by the social media network Facebook in the year 2014 for around $19 billion. This application is currently being used by more than 2 billion individuals across the globe and is available in 180 countries worldwide. This popular messaging app is an online platform for people to chat, share current affairs and news, and even shop. But recently, people have begun shifting to applications like Signal App.
A subsidiary of WhatsApp solely made for business purposes has observed that more than 175 million individuals use the application on a daily purpose for buying or browsing items, with a wide range of variety ranging from cakes to airplane flights, which is not yet available in the alternate Signal app.
WhatsApp has been heavily criticized for spreading false information regarding the COVID-19 infection amid the coronavirus pandemic in the past year. The messaging has also been condemned for the spread of details, which fueled immense violent actions. In the year 2018, due to the spreading of false rumors regarding the kidnapping of a child, which resulted in the ignition of mob violence and multiple killings in India, which prompted the messaging application WhatsApp to limit the forwarding of messaging to other individuals.
Massive outrage over the updated privacy on the WhatsApp application began to grow in the month of January, when the firm notified their users regarding the update of their terms of services and privacy policy, due to which millions of people turned to other messengers like telegram and Signal App.
The update for the application includes several details regarding how the data from WhatsApp could possibly be used and even shared when the consumer messages any business on the application. Due to this, people thought that WhatsApp could read their personal chats and even hear what they say during phone calls.
Later the issue was resolved as WhatsApp provided a public statement saying that all chats are end-to-end encrypted and the messaging service is completely unable t read any chat or phone calls. And the change would not expand WhatsApp’s ability to share any personalized data with its parent company Facebook, due to which they do not have to switch to Signal App or others.
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