Last week Facebook announced that it will start using all the data that WhatsApp collects when we use it. And what data are we talking about? Of all the data that WhatsApp collects from our iPhone: our name, phone number, device brand and model, locations (even if we disable this option, it is still calculated by IP), all the contacts we have saved, etc. Given this situation and Elon Musk’s recommendation to use Signal, Signal and Telegram are experiencing unprecedented growth.
Because everyone uses it, the excuse that soon won’t work
Many of us are aware that even before the change Facebook plans to implement on February 8, WhatsApp’s approach to privacy has a lot, a lot to improve. So why do we continue to use WhatsApp? Because everyone has it, or at least so far, as the latest figures from AppFigures reveal that Signal and Telegram bring together all users who decide to look for alternatives to WhatsApp.
Use signal
– Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 7, 2021
In the event that the privacy changes are not enough for many people to look for alternatives, Tesla CEO Elon Musk, among many other accusations, clearly tweeted “Use Signal”
It is @signalapp, for those who do not speak Elon. https://t.co/NA1PV9FN1o
– Edward Snowden (@Snowden) January 7, 2021
Here’s a reason: I use it every day and am not dead yet. https://t.co/Trhgqbwdpj
– Edward Snowden (@Snowden) January 7, 2021
The impressive growth of Signal and Telegram
Faced with this situation, the number of downloads of the Signal application in the App Store and Google Play has risen from approximately 25,000 per day to more than two million. According to AppFigures, the app is number one in many countries and in the top 10 in most others. In addition, some 3.5 million downloads took place in a single weekend.
So much that Facebook bought ads from the App Store So when we search for “Signal” the first result is Facebook Messenger. A movement which, of course, should not distract anyone.
Facebook is probably more comfortable selling ads than buying them, but they’ll do what they need to do to be the best match when some people search the App Store for “ Signal ”.
PS There will never be any ads in Signal, because your data is in your hands and not ours. pic.twitter.com/waVPcl4wHe
– Signal (@signalapp) January 10, 2021
Telegram, the other big beneficiary of those looking for alternatives to WhatsApp, has also seen impressive growth. Even without being mentioned by Musk or Snowden, the app has increased daily downloads by 30%. So far this year, it has recorded 14 million downloads.
Forbes compared Signal, iMessage, WhatsApp, and Facebook Messenger by looking at the App Store’s privacy labels. A picture is better than a thousand words. pic.twitter.com/VzxXwWQ8LE
– David Bernal Raspall (@ david_br8) January 4, 2021
Either way, it is clear that awareness of our privacy and the importance of using our data has changed a lot in recent years. Scandals like Cambridge Analytics have made us realize that, in the words of Tim Cook, “there is a black market for all the data we collect, we have no idea where our data is going.” Decisions like Apple’s to show what data apps are using on App Store pages also help generate more awareness: our privacy is important.