A lot of things happened this week in the tech space, but the one that grabbed all the eyeballs is WhatsApp's new privacy policy. Starting February 8, WhatsApp says it might start sharing user data with Facebook to improve the services. Whatever information WhatsApp collects from a user, it will be shared with its parent company Facebook. And yes, the data sharing will also include your mobile number and even the smartphone in which you install WhatsApp. This new privacy policy is concerning a lot of users around the globe and even some big personalities in the industry raised their voice against the policy. Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla and the current richest man in the world, asked users to switch over to Signal- an application currently being developed by WhatsApp co-founder Brian Acton. As WhatsApp started pushing more users to accept its privacy policy, the demand for other instant messaging apps- Telegram and Signal reached sky-high. The big question in front of every WhatsApp user is: should you make a switch to Signal or Telegram?
WhatsApp New Privacy Policy is Making Users Switch to Alternatives
With over two billion users across the world, WhatsApp is the undisputed king in its category. WhatsApp faced severe competition from the likes of Telegram and Hike in the past, but the Facebook-owned company impressed a lot with its simple user interface. Earlier in 2020, Facebook stated that it is looking to monetise WhatsApp. And the social media giant has started seeding its new privacy policy that will come into effect in February. The new policy says WhatsApp will share the data with Facebook like the mobile number, basic information of the user and even the mobile device properties. This move from WhatsApp sparked a major controversy in the tech industry.
As WhatsApp says the privacy policy can be reviewed in the coming days, a lot of users are already making a switch to Telegram and Signal. Telegram founder Pavel Durov sent out a statement saying Facebook should respect its users, instead of implementing such privacy policies. Signal, on the other hand, already became the most downloaded app on Apple App Store in India. In fact, Signal's tagline on the Apple App Store is 'Say “hello” to privacy.'
We are in 2021 and almost everyone is caring about their privacy. Although WhatsApp and Facebook claim nothing will change on how it collects user data after the new policy, users are ready to make a shift. Are you amongst the ones who made a switch to Telegram or Signal? Let's talk.
