Why are many changing WhatsApp for Signal?
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(CNN Business) ––
Millions of users have flocked to Signal, an encrypted messaging app, in recent days.
So much so that this week it reached # 1 in the Google Play Store and also in the main lists of free applications of the Apple App Store.
Signal recorded nearly 7.5 million installs worldwide on the App Store and Google Play between last Thursday and Sunday.
Which is equivalent to more than 43 times the number of installations it had in the previous week, according to market firm Sensor Tower.
Encrypted messaging services like Signal have gained popularity in recent years.
And it's because people are increasingly concerned with protecting their private information.
However, this recent increase in the number of Signal users follows the confusion over a notification about the update of terms of service of WhatsApp, Facebook's encrypted messaging app.
Signal and Telegram are a trend after changes in WhatsApp 0:44
Although, Signal also received endorsement last week from several of the biggest names in Silicon Valley.
Including Tesla CEO Elon Musk.
The big jump in new Signal downloads also comes after the Washington city riots.
And after the measures of Amazon, Apple and Google to cut ties with Parler, the social networking service favored by members of the extreme right.
Telegram, another encrypted messaging app, said Tuesday that it attracted 25 million new users globally during the previous 72 hours.
Thus, its total base of active users amounts to 500 million.
The huge increase in Signal traffic caused some glitches.
On Thursday, Signal tweeted that verification codes for new user registrations could take some time.
And he explained that this is because "a lot of new people are trying to join Signal right now (we can barely register our excitement)."
The problem was solved over the weekend.
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"We are currently having a record level of downloads for the Signal app around the world," a Signal member said in a Reddit post on Friday.
What about WhatsApp?
WhatsApp began notifying its users last month about the update in its terms of service and privacy policy.
Conditions that people must accept to continue using the application after February 8.
Many users raised concerns about a section of WhatsApp's privacy policy that details what data is collected and shared with parent company Facebook.
Precisely, a company that has a questionable reputation when it comes to protecting user data.
LOOK: If you do not accept the new WhatsApp conditions, your account could be closed
All private messages between individuals and most companies on WhatsApp are protected by end-to-end encryption.
Which means that the app cannot view or share them with Facebook.
(Users will be notified before chatting with a company account where messages do not have end-to-end encryption.)
But WhatsApp, additionally, collects other information from the user.
For example, how and when someone uses the application, and information about the user's device, such as IP addresses.
WhatsApp's privacy policy states that the user information it collects can be shared with other Facebook companies.
This, he explains, "to help operate, provide, improve, understand, personalize, support and market our services and their offerings."
Now, these data-sharing practices are not new, according to the company.
Here's what's changed: WhatsApp privacy was last updated globally in 2016. At that time, it offered WhatsApp users the ability to opt out of sharing data with Facebook, which was only available for a short time.
In this latest update, the reference to the expired opt-out option was removed.
The most significant update to the policy relates to commercial WhatsApp users.
Which points out that companies that use WhatsApp to talk to customers can choose to store records of their conversations on Facebook's hosting services.
This notification about an update to WhatsApp's privacy policy and terms may have caused some confused users to turn to other messaging services like Signal.
«The update does not change the data exchange practices of WhatsApp with Facebook.
And it does not affect the way people communicate privately with friends or family anywhere in the world, "a WhatsApp spokesperson said in a statement.
He also added that the company remains "deeply committed to protecting people's privacy."
Bottom line: after accepting the new terms, no WhatsApp user data will be shared with Facebook in addition to what was previously shared.
That is, unless you took advantage of the opt-out in 2016.
WhatsApp has tried to dispel confusion about the updated policy.
It even posted frequently asked questions about its privacy practices.
Why the Signal app?
While WhatsApp's policy is not new, the dispute has drawn attention to data-sharing practices between this application and Facebook.
Conditions that many people may not have read before clicking 'accept'.
That may be encouraging users to abandon WhatsApp, and Signal proves to be the most popular alternative.
Signal is another free app that provides encrypted messaging, phone and video calls.
"Encrypted" means that the content of messages is encrypted until they reach the recipient and cannot be seen by an intermediary.
The app is run by the nonprofit Signal Foundation, which launched in 2018. Additionally, the foundation enlisted the help of WhatsApp co-founder Brian Acton, who left WhatsApp and Facebook the previous year.
Acton said in a 2018 statement announcing the launch of the foundation that Signal aims to build "sustainable technology that respects users and is not based on the commodification of personal data."
Amid the flood of new registrations, Signal is rolling out new WhatsApp-like features.
These include wallpapers for chats and an "about" section for user profiles.
Additionally, a new Apple policy that requires applications to provide a label detailing their privacy practices in the App Store can make it easier for users to compare the policies of various messaging applications.
Signal did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the flood of new registrations.
The app has received some high profile endorsements.
Tesla's Musk tweeted on January 7th: "Use Signal."
Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey retweeted it and then posted an image of Signal to the top of the App Store list, adding a heart to his message.
Former NSA contractor Edward Snowden also retweeted Musk's post, with the message: "That's @signalapp, for those who don't speak Elon."
Although their tweets made no mention of Facebook or WhatsApp, both Musk and Dorsey have previously criticized the social media giant.
However, some people were apparently confused about Musk's advice.
Shares of Signal Advance, a small Texas-based tech company unrelated to the messaging app, rose more than 6,000% in the days after Musk's tweet, before moderating Tuesday.
Signal, the messaging app, posted a suggestive tweet about the confusion. "Is this what stock analysts mean when they say the market is giving mixed signals?"
(The word "signal" is translated into Spanish as "signal").
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