Amid the WhatsApp-Facebook furore, the one app that has begin shining on top is Signal. because the outrage against WhatsApp’s latest policy of sharing data with Facebook has grown fiercer, Signal continues to climb up the charts. during a tweet, the app said that it’s become the No. 1 downloaded app within the free apps category on App Store. Not only India, it became the highest downloaded app in Germany, France, Austria, Finland, Hong Kong, and Switzerland also .
Signal said it’s seeing such a surge in new users that it’s witnessing delays in telephone number verifications of latest accounts. Signal’s jump within the charts has come thanks to Elon Musk‘s endorsement also because the WhatsApp outrage.
Musk had tweeted on January 7: “Use Signal” to his 41.5 million followers. The Tesla CEO has also been vocal in his criticism of Facebook. He recently tweeted a picture of a person stacking dominoes. the primary of the dominoes, pertaining to Facebook, read “a website to rate women on campus” and therefore the last of the dominoes said “the Capitol seems to be under the control of a person during a viking hat”.
The app is out there on Android and iOS and also on iPad. Windows, Linux and Mac users also can download the app. it’s now being seen as a mobile messaging app also as an alternate to the Facebook ecosystem.
It is getting used extensively by activists, journalists, lawyers, researchers, security experts also as dissidents. it’s backed by the likes of Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey and American whistleblower Edward Snowden.
he tables for the foremost popular instant messaging app are slowly turning. WhatsApp has found itself within the second position within the App store with Signal topping the chart due to WhatsApp’s contentious new terms of service slated to travel into effect from February 8, 2021. Currently, the world’s richest man and Tesla CEO, Elon Musk, recently tweeted asking users to “Use Signal.” Now, American whistleblower, Edward Snowden who is understood for leaking highly classified information from the National Security Agency (NSA) in 2013 when he was a Central intelligence (CIA) employee has vouched for Signal.
Snowden on Thursday retweeted Musk’s tweet directing people to use Signal. A Twitter account named Astral Wars then questioned Snowden asking if Signal can really be trusted. “Do we actually trust Signal? cause I see zero reason to.” Snowden replied saying, “Here’s a reason: i exploit it (Signal) a day , and i am not dead yet.” Snowden was probably highlighting his controversial history with the US authorities by noting that he’s “not dead yet.”
Signal, that goes with the tagline “Say hello to privacy” has been around 2014. it had been developed by Signal Foundation and Signal Messenger LLC, a non-profit company. The Signal Foundation was created by WhatsApp co-founder Brian Acton and Signal Messenger CEO Moxie Marlinspike. Acton left WhatsApp in 2017 and donated $50 million to assist fund Signal.
This article taken reference from businesstoday and indiatoday