Why is Elon Musk pushing Signal?
It's because of WhatsApp privacy policy changes.
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Let's get some context first.
WhatsApp is super popular, it has around 2 billion users worldwide.
One of its hooks is that WhatsApp says it cannot use the content of the messages you're sending thanks to encryption.
However other data can be collected.
So when the service announced an updated privacy policy would go into effect on February 8th
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People were concerned, the following language got people's attention, quote, as part of the Facebook family of companies.
WhatsApp receives information from and shares information with, this family of companies.
We may use the information we receive from them, and they may use the information we share with them to help our services and their offerings.
So this language sounds like what you write in WhatsApp would be shared with Facebook and Facebook is not known exactly for respecting privacy.
Hence, the freakout began.
Keep in mind WhatsApp has been sharing data with Facebook since 2016.
WhatsApp has also made a number of statements saying That the new policy will not affect the privacy of messages with friends and family.
It relates to messaging businesses through the platform.
Also, the policy changes will not take effect until May 15th.
However, between the announcement of a new policy and WhatsApp statements Elan musk tweets out us signal.
Then the tweet was retweeted by Jack Dorsey who happens to be the CEO of Twitter.
So guess what?
People started downloading signal in droves.
So what is signal?
It works like your standard text messaging app.
However, its big draw is privacy.
On signals website, you see testimonials from Jack Dorsey as well as Edward Snowden.
When I see that Edward Snowden uses signal that gives me a pretty good idea that signal must be pretty secure.
People can use signal to send a text, video, audio and picture messages.
All of those are protected by end to end encryption.
That means that only the sender and recipient can read messages in signal if messages are intercepted.
By a nosy neighbor, a mobile carrier or law enforcement, they get to look at gibberish signal does not collect or store user data other than your phone number on top of that.
Signal has no ads signal cites proudly states that quote, privacy isn't an optional mode.
It's just the way that signal works signal tweeted and explained that it was handling quite the surge.
Musk's tweet was published on January 7. On the 11th signal was downloaded almost 1.3 million times just on that day.
According to a tracking firm.
A signal spokesperson said that the number of downloads reported is on the low side on the 13th of January.
Signal posted a couple of screenshots from the Google Playstore.
Signal went from over 10 million installs to over 50 million.
If, for whatever reason, you're not feeling up the signal, there's.
Always telegram, which is also seeing a surge of new instals with now over 500 million active users just know telegram is not as private as signal, telegram grabs your name, phone number.
First contacts IP address and user ID.
Again signal just grabs your phone number.
If you want your messages encrypted, you'll have to opt in.
Also, group messages are not encrypted.
Additionally, telegrams encrypted scheme does not seem entirely open source.
According to some researchers, that means, it is not fully clear what happens to your messages when they get to telegram servers.
All that being said, telegram seems very confident that others cannot hack telegram messages.
In an FAQ a question asks, what if my hacker friends says they could decipher telegram messages?
The answer reads anyone who claims that telegram messages can be deciphered is welcome to prove that claim and our competition and win $300,000.
So there you go.
That's why you and Musk was pushing signal.
Musk is also not a Facebook champion by any means.
He publicly tweeted hashtag delete Facebook, it's lame.
And then there was this, Musk shared a meme that linked Facebook to the riots that took place at the US Capitol.
And that initial use signal tweet by musk seem to have an impact on a biotech company called signal advanced signal advanced has nothing to do with the signal app.
So the App Maker tweeted, this isn't us.
tweets can be powerful people looking for a phone to use with signal, check this out on my as actor and I'll see you online.
