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"Thomas is on Signal."
"Evelyn Haley is on Signal"
Signal users have gotten more of such notifications the past few days after more of their contacts joined the most secure messaging app in the world.
Signal has previously been the communication method of choice for activists, people in the hacker community, and others concerned about privacy, known extensively for its end-to-end encryption and independent structure as a non-profit organization run by a foundation. Yes, it is not run by a big tech company.
WhatsApp recently came clean about data sharing with other products on January 4th with a privacy policy update. WhatsApp’s updated policy says that it may share your information with its family of companies to “facilitate, support and integrate their activities and improve our services.” They have been doing this for a while, by the way, and they just decided to let us in on it.
It is increasingly looking like a bad move. The World's richest man, Elon Musk, used his Twitter page to inform the world of a safer messaging option - Signal.
Signal has been working on their infrastructure to ensure their subscribers' safety and security, and it looks like the is paying off. Statistics show that the App saw surges in downloads during the Black Lives Matter movement after anti-racism protesters suspected security agencies were tracking their online activity and asking companies to hand over user data.
After Elon's guidance, Signal rose to the top of the Apple App Store and Google Play Store. Its two-factor authentication onboarding system even got briefly delayed Thursday because so many people were trying to sign up.
What Is Signal?
Signal is a free, privacy-focused messaging and voice talk app you can use on Apple and Android smartphones and via desktop. Just like WhatsApp, you need a phone number to join. On Signal, you can text and call other users whose contacts you have. Signal's end-to-end encryption is the real deal, and the app is really private. Not even the company can see the messages.
Remember that disappearing messages prompt introduced by WhatsApp? Yeah, Signal has that too. You can set messages to disappear after certain customizable time frames. Plus, Signal collects virtually no data on its users. The only information you give the app is your phone number.
It is a non-profit organization running Signal; therefore, they have no business with your information. They do not need it. It is funded by investors with privacy a major issue. In 2018, WhatsApp founder Brian Acton donated $50 million to create the Signal Foundation, which now runs Signal. Acton got on board with the mission to make a truly private messaging service after Facebook acquired WhatsApp, and Acton reportedly left the company amid clashes with Facebook over how it was eroding WhatsApp’s privacy.