Jan 7, 2021 – One tweet consisting of 2 words ‘Use Signal’ by Tesla CEO and World’s richest person Elon Musk and it seems like the world’s attention has shifted towards Signal. That’s the power of an Influencer.? Before we analyze the impact of this tweet, let’s take a look at what happened a few days earlier.
It so happened that Facebook owned WhatsApp on late Tuesday evening, January 5, started sending in-app notifications to its users in India and other countries, informing them about changes in its new terms of service and privacy policy.
The notification message sent to both Android and iOS users is a requisite forcing them to agree to the messaging app’s new privacy rules or else lose access to it, which will lead to their accounts getting deleted. ?? And that was the breaking point in my honest opinion.
“WhatsApp is updating its terms and privacy policy,” the company said in the notification.
So what does it mean?
It means that WhatsApp will share its users’ personal information, including phone numbers, IP addresses, contacts, & more with Facebook from Feb. 8, according to the new T&Cs. No opt-out.
It also clearly mentioned “We may use the information we receive from them, and they may use the information we share with them, to help operate, provide, improve, understand, customize, support, and market our Services and their offerings, including the Facebook Company Products.”
WhatsApp was acquired by Mark Zuckerberg’s Facebook in 2014, and it promised users that its instant-messaging app would NOT collect user names, addresses, internet searches, or location data. CEO Jan Koum wrote in a blog post: “Above all else, I want to make sure you understand how deeply I value the principle of private communication. For me, this is very personal. I was born in Ukraine, and grew up in the USSR during the 1980s.
Two years later, that vow was partially eroded by, well, capitalism, and WhatsApp revealed it would be “coordinating more with Facebook,” and gave people the opportunity to opt out of any data sharing. Jan Koum left in 2018.
And this time around, there is no opt-out for the sharing of data with Facebook and its tentacles. The only way to object is to leave the service & move to a service like Signal or Telegram.
What’s the impact of Whatsapp’s privacy notification and Elon Musk’s tweet?
It’s Huge! ?
- Stock Markets – With Elon Musk telling his followers to use encrypted messaging app Signal, shares of Signal Advance surged a massive 1,100 per cent as some people bought that unrelated stock.
Is this what stock analysts mean when they say that the market is giving mixed Signals?
It’s understandable that people want to invest in Signal’s record growth, but this isn’t us. We’re an independent 501c3 and our only investment is in your privacy. pic.twitter.com/9EgMUZiEZf
— Signal (@signalapp) January 8, 2021
- Signal tops free app category at Apple’s App store & Google Play – Signal’s popularity shot up further on Thursday after it was endorsed by Elon Musk, who has one of the most-followed accounts on Twitter. According to data analytics firm Sensor Tower, more than 100,000 users installed Signal across the app stores of Apple and Google in the last two days, while Telegram picked up nearly 2.2 million downloads.
…??, ??, ??, ??, and ?? too.
— Signal (@signalapp) January 9, 2021
- Signal Server Crashed – While it’s unclear how many users have left WhatsApp, the Signal app crashed due to the influx of users. Signal indicated about it with the following tweets:
Verification codes are currently delayed across several providers because so many new people are trying to join Signal right now (we can barely register our excitement). We are working with carriers to resolve this as quickly as possible. Hang in there.
— Signal (@signalapp) January 7, 2021
What are the Top Alternatives of #WhatsApp?
This post is all about ? Privacy. And with Privacy in concern, below are the top Apps which has Privacy for priority.
1) Element / Matrix – Specialities #e2e, #opensource, #federation
2) Signal – Specialities #e2e, #privacy_is_priority
3) Keybase – Specialities #e2e, #moreCrypto, #gpg
WhatsApp vs Signal – Comparison
Installing Signal for the 1st Time
Experienced a smooth installation process and unlike others, I received the verification code by text message pretty fast.
Challenges Faced ?
Nothing in this perfect in this world. And I’m sure Signal App also has a long way ahead. Below are the few challenging moments I faced while using Signal App for the 1st time.
- Less Users Onboard – After retrieving the contact list from my phone book, Signal App showed me a handful number of friends using Signal App as on Jan 10, 2021. I understand that this number will rise but I gotta wait for some time.
- Wants to be default SMS App – Can’t recall WhatsApp ever asking me the permission to be the default SMS App. However immediately after finishing the installation process, Signal App wanted to become my default SMS App which I allowed. All new messages are now landing in the Signal inbox but I can reply back only to the ones who are using Signal App. Getting an error message while trying to send to everyone else. This should be fixed right away.
- The Big Shift – Not many of WhatsApp users aren’t very much concerned about privacy. It’s okay for them as long as WhatsApp is free to use. Shifting from WhatsApp to any other app will be a challenge of mindset.
Signal App for Digital Marketing
Few years back, WhatsApp was just a messaging platform. These days, its being used by many small and medium businesses to reach out to potential clients through groups, having catalogues to showcase products and the payment gateway powered by Facebook to receive payments with a very small commission. WhatsApp is also being used as a medium to provide customer support through text messages and many medium sized businesses have incorporated an automated version of the same into their system. This can be challenging for people who’re planning to migrate. BUT Signal App has an answer to this.
A lot of people have been asking how to move their group chats from other apps to Signal, and Signal group links are a great way to get started. Drop a group link into your former chat app of choice like you’re dropping the mic on the way out. pic.twitter.com/q49DeZufBG
— Signal (@signalapp) January 7, 2021
