Can These Two Icons Bring Down WhatsApp Popularity With Their Latest Remarks on Privacy Policy Update of WhatsApp?

On: January 10, 2021

The recent Privacy Policy Update of WhatsApp has raised many questions among its users and there are many talks going on the internet. Two icons Tesla and SpaceX owner Elon Musk and Microsoft owner Bill Gates recommended something that may influence users.

Instead of WhatsApp: Elon Musk recommended Signal, and now there is an influx of people in the messenger

Tesla and SpaceX owner Elon Musk posted a post on his Twitter with a recommendation to use the Signal messenger instead of WhatsApp. The reason is the new privacy policy of the latter, which provides for an expanded list of user data exchange with Facebook.

Many were outraged by how WhatsApp changed its privacy policy, forcing everyone to agree that their data would be transferred to Facebook. Among the outraged was Musk, who made a specific recommendation - to switch to the secure Signal messenger.

Musk's tweet was shared by Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey. After that, a large stream of new users poured into the Signal application. In this regard, the Signal developers announced on Twitter about interruptions in sending verification codes for authorization. However, the developers are already solving this problem.

It is worth noting that this is not the first time that Elon Musk has criticized Facebook. Previously, he led a public dispute with a social network about the principles of processing the personal data of its users. As a result, in 2018, he removed his personal page from Facebook, as well as the communities of his companies - Tesla and SpaceX.

Signal is a messenger that uses end-to-end encryption in all dialogs. Therefore, all messages that are sent and received by chat participants at the very beginning are encrypted with a special key, and then decrypted directly on the recipient's device. So the company does not process messages and sent content on its servers. Even in Telegram, end-to-end encryption is used only in special "secret chats", in other cases it is decrypted remotely on the application server. Signal also lacks ads and has features such as a message self-destruct timer, protection against previewing when switching applications, and asking for a password when idle.

Here are some more Signal features:

  • Relaying calls through Signal servers to protect the IP address;
  • Displaying calls outside the messenger, for example, in the standard "Phone" application;
  • Changing the pin code, setting up a reminder about the need to change it;
  • PIN-code request when re-registering with Signal;
  • Blocking the messenger using a pin code, Face ID, or Touch ID;
  • Screen protection: the content of the messenger is not displayed in the multitasking menu;
  • Permission to correspond with subscribers who are not in the contact list;
  • Clearing chat history.

Recently, Skype published a  post on its official Twitter stating that the developers of this messenger do not store or process their users' confidential information.

With WhatsApp's new privacy policy being adopted, Microsoft advises switching to Skype

WhatsApp recently updated its privacy policy, which states that the company will share user data with Facebook to integrate with its other products. Users were outraged, and competitors did not fail to attract attention to themselves.

For example, a post was published on Skype on Twitter stating that maintaining the privacy of users' personal data and refusing to transfer them to third parties is the priority of the messenger.

Elon Musk also urged users to switch to the Signal messenger in his blog, which, according to the creator of SpaceX, is the safest messaging service. Claims against WhatsApp, by the way, are not unfounded, because when the messenger was acquired by Facebook in 2014, its developers stated that they would never transfer user data.

The new rules for working with user data in WhatsApp will take effect on February 8, 2021.

Source: CNET |  Neowin

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