Thriving off of end-to-end encryption of all user data, WhatsApp surprised its over two billion users by announcing on January 6th, that in order to keep using the service they must agree to share their personal information including, location, phone number, browser information, and battery level, with the broader Facebook network, including Instagram and Facebook or be locked out of their accounts.
Repercussions of This Sudden Change
Mark Zuckerberg the owner of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp insists that this move will allow for a more connected service, where users can contact those on Instagram and Facebook Messenger seamlessly.
But the updated privacy policy shows a different story saying, “WhatsApp receives information from, and shares information with, the other Facebook companies. We may use the information we receive from them, and they may use the information we share with them, to help operate”. In other words WhatsApp will receive, store, and share personal information with other Facebook companies to use as they see fit.
The sudden change sparked uproar on social media with many urging users to download other apps such as Signal and Telegraph for private messaging services. It was after Elon Musk, Tesla's founder, tweeted for users to switch to Signal a secure messaging app, that many began to download it.
Use Signal
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 7, 2021
According to Apptopia following Musk’s tweet, over 810,000 users downloaded Signal globally and over 100,000 downloaded the app within Canada. On January 11th Google Trends reported Signal surpassed WhatsApp in online searches in Canada
According to Sensor Tower, the app took the number one spot in the iOS App Store’s Top charts from January 8th onwards. WhatsApp on the other hand has been on a steady decline since announcement and is now sitting at number 15 in the top charts.
Verification codes are currently delayed across several providers because so many new people are trying to join Signal right now (we can barely register our excitement). We are working with carriers to resolve this as quickly as possible. Hang in there.
— Signal (@signalapp) January 7, 2021
The increase in downloads from both the App Store and Google Play caused the service to temporarily crash.
Globally
WhatsApp's decision to enforce a new privacy policy impacts users from all over the world.
Harneet Sahi is an Indian national living in Canada and like many other Indian nationals, she is encouraging her family and friends to leave WhatsApp behind. She adds, while it will be hard to leave the only app of direct communication she has ever known, she knows it has to be done.
India holds the most WhatsApp users according to Business of Apps with over 340 million users within its borders. The decrease of users in the region if even by half would be detrimental to WhatsApp.
Sahi says “...this update is not about connecting more people it is an abuse of power carried out by Mark Zuckerberg". Many users have accumulated and gotten so use to the interface of the app, that they would willingly give over their personal user data in order to use the service.
They say, market has power. We are the largest market.
— Vijay Shekhar Sharma (@vijayshekhar) January 11, 2021
Here in India WhatsApp / Facebook are abusing their monopoly & taking away millions of users' privacy for granted.
We should move on to @signalapp NOW.
It is upto us to become victim or reject such moves. https://t.co/iCmKoyLc5x
Vijay Shekhar Sharma is an Indian billionaire. He is the founder of financial technology company Paytm.
For this reason, while Sahi is encouraging her family and friends to leave WhatsApp behind, she is concerned they will continue to use the messaging service. “WhatsApp in India is like a religion, everyone uses it, everyone has it" she says.
WhatsApp is one of the many normalized things in India, with many using the app to communicate rather than using traditional services on their phones. "In a perfect world everyone would come off of WhatsApp, but in a country of 340 million users that just won’t happen", she says.
Because of this, while for right now there is an increase in the downloads for Signal, “the problem comes when people don’t find their people” she says, insisting, users will go back to WhatsApp where they can properly communicate with their friends and family regardless of the new policies.
Only time will tell if the app's users will make this switch permanent and leave WhatsApp altogether, or if this is merely a passing trend.
UPDATE:
In response to the online backlash and increasing popularity of Signal, WhatsApp has decided to extend the previously set deadline to accept the terms of conditions from February 8th to May 15th. At that time, users who choose not to not accept the new terms will be locked out of their accounts until they do.
The Hindu and Hindustan Times reported on the 19th of January that the Government of India has asked WhatsApp to withdraw the proposed changes to its privacy policy, as it impacts the choice and autonomy of Indian Citizens
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