Surge caused as millions of WhatsApp users seek alternative
Earlier this month, WhatsApp notified its users of a change in the terms and conditions of using WhatsApp. In order to keep using the Instant Messaging (IM) service after Feb 8th , 2021 (delayed by three months after facing severe criticism) the users would have to agree to share their data with Facebook. Facebook is the parent company of WhatsApp. This outraged its users as people don’t like to share their information publicly much less being forced to do it. They started looking for alternatives.
Among many quality alternatives available in the market, Signal and Telegram turned out to be the two most sought- after applications. Signal, a messaging service platform developed by Signal Foundation, uses a state-of-the-art end- to-end encryption programme to ensure the privacy of its users (see box) and that is why it saw a surge in the application download. Just in a day’s time, the number of downloads on Google Play store surged from 10 million to more than 50 million. This caused the application to crash as they faced technical difficulties keeping up with the demand (problem has resolved).
End-to-end encryption – It is a process by which a piece of information is scrambled and randomized using mathematical formulas. It looks like gibberish to an outsider but can be read only by the device it is meant for. Messages sent through Signal are said to be encrypted which means the IM platform cannot read the private messages or store them on its server. WhatsApp also uses encryption, but it can read information such as IP address, group detail, and status. Also, it does not encrypt the information stored on the cloud hence making the IM platform vulnerable.
