WhatsApp's new privacy policy has led to a sharp drop in the number of downloads of the messenger

The popular messaging service WhatsApp has seen a sudden drop in new downloads, according to online sources. Against this background, there has been a sharp rise in the popularity of competing messengers such as Signal and Telegram.

From January 5 to January 12, WhatsApp downloads fell by more than 2 million from the previous week to 10.6 million downloads, according to reports. Data from the analyst company Sensor Tower show that over the same period of time, the number of downloads of Signal and Telegram applications amounted to 17.8 million and 15.7 million downloads, respectively.

The decline in popularity of the Facebook-owned messenger WhatsApp is due to user dissatisfaction with the way the service processes their data. A few days ago, 2 billion WhatsApp users received notifications that changed terms of use and updated privacy policies are coming into force on the service. In accordance with the new rules, WhatsApp will exchange user data with Facebook, which caused widespread discontent. Users must accept the new rules by February 8th or they will no longer be able to interact with the messaging service.

It's worth noting that WhatsApp goes to great lengths to convince users to continue working with the messenger. For example, as part of this activity, Facebook has issued assurances in several Indian newspapers that the service takes due care of the privacy of user data. It is not surprising that India was chosen for such campaigning since the messenger has the largest audience here.

“ WhatsApp respects and protects your privacy,” read the headline that appeared on the front page of The Indian Express, The Hindu and eight other local publications. “WhatsApp cannot see your private messages or hear your calls, just like Facebook. This applies to every private message, photo, video, voice message and document that you send to your friends, family and colleagues individually or in a group chat. Chats are end-to-end encrypted. It stays between you,”said a WhatsApp message that appeared in Indian newspapers.