According to Reuters, after facing criticism and a big shift of its users to rival apps, WhatsApp decided to publish newspaper ads. Recently, it initiated the step in India, which happens to be its largest market in terms of users. There are nearly 400 million active app users in the country.
“Respect for your privacy is coded into our DNA,” read one newspaper announcement from the platform.
[embedded content]
The moment a new notification popped up on many users’ devices about the app’s privacy-based changes, it witnessed large uninstalls. It has happened across the globe, except in India. The country is yet to see any big shift when it comes to transition to a rival app. However, other regions are witnessing a huge impact at the moment.
After the new privacy policy revealed that the users’ chat data would be shared with third parties, the Signal app suddenly became popular. Since last week, the end-to-end encrypted messaging platform saw an unexpected increase in its downloads. It happened on both Android and iOS devices and continuing.
WhatsApp tried to clear doubts and said that the new change wouldn’t affect consumers’ privacy. And that it’s only related to their interactions with businesses.
However, it seems like clarifications are not enough now to prevent people from moving to rival apps. Just like Signal, Telegram has also witnessed a big jump in its user base. Just recently, it also managed to cross 500 million registered users.
The most important thing to note from the current case of the most-used messaging portal is the privacy concern. For years, the crucial aspect has seen an ignorance from the people. But in 2020, it emerged as a prominent term thanks to Apple’s revolutionary changes to its iOS 14 software. Following the heated tension between Apple and Facebook in the last year, everyone became aware of how necessary their personal data is.
Then, WhatsApp’s incident happened just a few weeks ago, and consumers noticed what was at risk. Since its acquisition by Facebook, the iconic messaging app has become less dependable on security. Yes, it still says that all chats are encrypted end-to-end, but the trust has slightly faded away.
And thus, people are now looking for alternatives that actually prioritize privacy as a necessity. Because the conversations among individuals is a personal experience, it must remain that way only.
Image courtesy of Whatsapp/YouTube Screenshot
Neck hanging, a bizarre fitness trend, is going viral in China, aimed at treating chronic…
A US Airman stationed overseas in Japan says his beloved dog named Maverick and his…
Photo: Social Dream Haus/ Instagram Engagements and weddings are more than just pretty decorations and…
By MARI YAMAGUCHI Associated PressThe trouble started with a beautiful photo.Social media was soon awash…
The high-speed trainline in Japan serves upwards of 400,000 passengers per day (Picture: Getty Images)…
Four years after Apple killed off its digital music player, secondhand sales are surging. It's…