Why is everyone switching from Whatsapp to Telegram and Signal?
Whatsapp has for many years, been one of the leading apps for daily social chats, family calls abroad, free business conversations with overseas clients, group chats and even group video calls! All of which has been totally free of charge!
What a bloody great app you say - we agree! So, as many begin to transition away from Whatsapp to join apps such as Signal and Telegram, it is clearly not a decision that is being taken lightly and begs the most asked question of 2021 (of course, beyond "Is 2020 really over for good)?! The other question being: "Why are people leaving Whatsapp"?
Like seriously, why on earth are people suddenly sending you a link to join Signal? Why in a million years would you even consider leaving the comfort of Whatsapp for an app called Telegram that you have quite possibly never heard of?
The answer is simple. PRIVACY.
A concern over privacy has been rising since users discovered the amount of data which apps such as Whatsapp store. The issue came into the limelight for Whatsapp in particular after Mark Zuckerberg, owner of Facebook, purchased the popular messaging platform. Following an announcement about the changes in the way that Whatsapp will share information with its parent company Facebook, millions around the world began to seek an alternative, to be able to jump ship before the new policy comes into play.
Facebook has been under fire in the past, concerning their data storage of user information, and the sheer amounts of information that they allegedly have access to. To date, their access to users personal information is still of great concern to many and this is now trickling over to Whatsapp in light of the announcement.
News of the announcement spread like wildfire on all social media platforms, including Whatsapp and Facebook ironically - being two of the most popular social media platforms for spreading the word, and now millions who are aware of the issue have been taking measures to maintain their rights to privacy, by switching to much more secure apps such as Telegram and Signal.
So your next questions may be 'which app should I use instead of Whatsapp?' and 'why is Signal better than Telegram?' Or vice versa 'why is Telegram better than Signal'? Once again, all very valid questions, so here's some information!
Telegram is a messaging platform which priorities user-security and safety. Unlike Whatsapp, the platform allows for the free option of 'Secret Messaging,' which 'self-destroys' messages, photos, and videos once they are seen. Due to this feature, the user will not have to face the same concerns over privacy when messaging on the app. Another key feature of the platform is the additional lock you can choose to apply. You can insert a pass code before accessing your messages. Telegram also contains a seamless-sync system, allowing users to access anything stored on the app on various devices at the same time.
Signal, another messaging app rising in it's popularity, resembles Telegram in terms of prioritising privacy and valuing user protection. The platform uses end-to-end encryption, this is crucial for anyone seeking privacy because it means that their users messages cannot be accessed by anyone, including Signal themselves. This is a feature which is completely absent on Whatsapp. Signal attempts to keep its users anonymous to every possible extent in terms of avoiding the tracking of user-information, and the storing other personal data. The platform also offers self-destructing messages, making conversations twice as secure. The only information which the app stores from the user, is the time the account was created, the users phone number, and the date marking the last time the platform was accessed.
So after Whatsapp made its first announcement on this subject to it's over 2 billion users, many have left without a second thought, but what will YOU be doing? We'd love to know! Let us know in the comments below!
Reviewed by Crystal Emmanuel
on
02:48
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