Signal is a cross- platform encrypted messaging service which was developed by The Signal Foundation and Signal Messenger. The Signal Messenger was founded in 2018.
On February 21 2018, Signal Foundation was announced by Moxie Marlinspike and WhatsApp co-founder Brian Acton. Fast forward to 2021,Signal Messenger has recently gained a lot of popularity following WhatsApp’s new terms and privacy policies.
The terms allow WhatsApp to share user’s data to Facebook and Facebook Companies and this time there is no option to disagree.
You can read about the new terms and privacy policies here and also the data that WhatsApp collects from users
On January 7 2021, Worlds richest man (as of January 2021) and owner of Tesla, Elon Musk tweeted and asked his followers to use Signal. This led to a wave of people downloading the app. This in return led to users facing verification problems because the servers were overloaded.
Signal group admins can add members from other social platforms just by sharing a link. It is easy, just follow the steps;
- Download and install signal (if you don’t have it)
- Open your Signal app and click on the three vertical dots at the top right corner
- Select ‘New Group’ and make it functional by adding new members
- Open the group chat
- Select the three vertical lines on the top right corner
- Click on Group Link > On > Share the link with other users on any social media platform like WhatsApp
It is interesting to see apps like Signal Messenger gain popularity in world which is literary controlled by WhatsApp and its a good thing to know that there are other options to consider especially now that WhatsApp is planning to start sharing user’s data with Facebook and its subsidiaries.
And of course we can’t conclude without mentioning Telegram.
Telegram was originally launched for iOS in August 2013 and later for Android in October the same is year. Telegram is freeware, cross-platform, cloud-based instant messaging, video calling and VoIP service.
It is popular because messages are heavily encrypted and can self-destruct and also lets users access their chats from other devices. In April 2018 a Russian court blocked Telegram for failing to share its encryption keys or in simple terms, a means to access user’s data.
In June 2020, Russia finally lifted the ban on Telegram citing the company’s willingness to help them with their counterterrorism efforts.
Will WhatsApp’s choice to share user’s data on Facebook and its subsidiaries cost them more users? We will just have to wait and see what escalates.
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