An update in WhatsApp’s privacy policy sent a flood of users to the open source Signal app. In total 40 million new users. The Signal app has actually been standard among EU-Commission staff since early 2020 and it goes nicely along with EU's GDPR.
Users migrated from WhatsApp (owned by Facebook) to Signal last month. Signal got 40 million new users on a single day: Januar 12th. Both apps have end-to-end encryption. However, the big selling point is the different privacy agreements.
In the new settings, WhatsApp can share metadata with Facebook . The intentions behind is, according to Financial Times, that Facebook can utilize even more user data to better targeting their advertisement and e-commerce. This doesn't happen on the Signal App.
The scandal of Cambridge Analytica
Signal is an open source encryption and message software where only the users have access to their shared content. Signal is interesting to compare to the Cambridge Analytica scandal in 2018, which showed the danger of unprotected digital data.
Cambridge Analytica was a consulting agency that made psychological profiles on Facebook user’s activity (and their contacts). The analyses were sold to fuel activity in political campaigns. Cambridge Analytica – and privacy conditions – received global attention that year.
This scandal happend in 2018, the year when EU made a statement about right to own data. And the year of the implementation of GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation (EU) 2016/679).
SIgnal in EU-Commission
GDPR is a supplement to national laws in the EU-states. The first paragraph states: 'The protection of natural persons in relation to the processing of personal data is a fundamental right.'
Last year the EU-Commission recommended its staff to use Signal for communication instead of WhatsApp, Chloé Dussutour writes on the OSOR platform in March last year.
January 12th Signal got 40 million new users. This means 50 million downloads in total. How many are Europeans is impossible to say simple by the numbers of downloads. Perfect for an app, which protects the privacy of its users.
Final take-away
- WhatsApp lost users to Signal on Januar 12th where privacy condition was updated for the Facebook owned WhatsApp.
- Signal protects the privacy of their users - only you and the reciever sees the messages or images you send.
- Signal aligns well with EU's GDPR.
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Photo by Dimitri Karastelev on Unsplash