(Reuters) – The number of new users who install the Signal messaging app every day is on track to exceed 1 million, bringing it closer to the levels seen by a larger rival, WhatsApp, after an update to its privacy policy. Facebook-owned application.
About 810,000 users globally installed Signal on Sunday, almost 18 times compared to download numbers on January 6, the day that WhatsApp updated its privacy terms, according to data from research firm Apptopia.
WhatsApp’s new privacy terms reserve the right to share user data, including location and phone number, with your parent, Facebook Inc and units like Instagram and Messenger.
Privacy advocates questioned the move, citing Facebook’s history of handling user data, with many suggesting that users migrate to platforms like Telegram and Signal.
To handle the number of new users, Signal said on Sunday that it added more servers to handle the traffic. Until recently, the non-profit application was widely used by journalists and human rights activists in search of a more secure and encrypted mode of communication.
WhatsApp, which saw a 7% drop in daily installations on Sunday compared to Wednesday, was downloaded by almost 1.2 million users on January 10, according to Apptopia.
Reporting by Eva Mathews and Munsif Vengattil in Bengaluru; Shounak Dasgupta edition