After Whatsapp changed its privacy policy Elon Musk posted a tweet and Signal users increased significantly. The messaging app is relatively unknown to many. However, their “no data collection” business model seems to attract many people. The application increased the number of users 43 times in the last week.
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Signal users increased after Elon Musk’s tweet
The application has reached 7.4 million downloads globally. Of course, this figure is still insignificant compared to the 2 billion users of WhatsApp. So the increase is far from being an exodus as some people have claimed.
It is more like an interest in the app for those who are looking for alternatives to WhatsApp. This is not the only case, as Telegram also increased its number of users from January 6 to 10, with 5.6 million downloads worldwide in this period of time.
The reason why Signal can function as an app that does not depend on data collection is in its model and vision. The company defines itself as a 501(c)(3) organization, which is one of the types of not-for-profit companies in the United States.
The app and company are supported by The Signal Foundation, an organization founded by Brian Acton, co-creator of WhatsApp, which he left after it was sold to Facebook because of its differences in user data management. Thus, he ensures that the service is supported by the donations made by its users.
That is why Signal can function as a messaging app that does not rely on data collection. The app does not store user information and it is much less invasive than Facebook or WhatsApp. Something that the app has not been afraid to state on Twitter:
Facebook is probably more comfortable selling ads than buying them, but they'll do what they have to do in order to be the top result when some people search for 'Signal' in the App Store.
P.S. There will never be ads in Signal, because your data belongs in your hands not ours. pic.twitter.com/waVPcl4wHe
— Signal (@signalapp) January 10, 2021
Elon Musk also approves Signal as you can see in the tweet below:
Use Signal
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 7, 2021
This app has the basic features of a messaging service such as groups, sending multimedia, feedback, and even video calls. You can find it available in Google Play and App Store.