Signal, Telegram witness significant surge after WhatsApp’s new data rules

•  WhatsApp users are turning to other platforms.

•  Signal is seeing a surge after Elon Musk’s tweet.

•  A statement came from WhatsApp for those who live in Europe.

Earlier this week, Facebook-owned instant messaging platform WhatsApp had announced an update regarding its new privacy policy and terms of service offering integrations across the social media giant’s platform. Following the decision, Signal Telegram pair are seeing a surge in downloads.

WhatsApp’s move sparked rethink among users, and Elon Musk —the world’s wealthiest person, passing Jeff Bezos— tweeted: “Use Signal.” After his endorsement, many people who are looking for an alternative have started to get it.

Signal said on Twitter that they continue to add capacity as more people attend the platform, adding new servers for newcomers.

Meanwhile, another instant messaging application Telegram said it is seeing an inflow of new users signing up to its service after WhatsApp’s new data rules.

Use Signal

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 7, 2021

Questioning concerning WhatsApp has been ignited when it outlined a new privacy policy that will go into effect next month. There is no indication as to whether users can disable data sharing with parent company Facebook.

Doubts about WhatsApp’s new privacy policy

Instead, the new policy precisely says WhatsApp will share data (your phone number, profile name, and address book info) with Facebook.

“As part of the Facebook family of companies, WhatsApp receives information from, and shares information with, this family of companies,” the new privacy policy says.

“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,” it continues.

A Facebook spokesperson tells The Verge that the changes in question are about to address data sharing between Facebook and WhatsApp in respect to messaging with businesses.

For those who live in Europe, WhatsApp will not share data with Facebook for ads purposes in order to continue using the service, WhatsApp’s director of policy for EMEA Niamh Sweeney clarified.

2/5 It has been incorrectly reported that WhatsApp's latest Terms of Service and Privacy Policy update requires users in the European Region to agree to the sharing of data with Facebook for ads purposes in order to continue using the service. This is false.

— Niamh Sweeney (@NiamhSweeneyNYC) January 7, 2021

What’s happening nowadays causes WhatsApp users to escape from the service to join Signal, Telegram and other social networks.

To mention, Signal was created by Signal Foundation, in which Brian Acton committed $50 million in February 2018. He cofounded messaging app WhatsApp with Jan Koum in 2007, according to Forbes.