The encrypted messaging app Signal on Thursday had major delays in verifying the phone numbers of new accounts due to the sudden increase in people trying to join the platform.
In the messages posted from its official Twitter account, the Signal Foundation said on a non-profit basis that verification codes were slow down in various cellular networks, and that it works through the backlog as quickly as possible.
Verification codes are currently being delayed in several providers because so many new people are currently trying to join Signal (we can barely register our excitement). We work with carriers to resolve this as quickly as possible. Hang in there. – Sein (@signalapp) 7 January 2021
While the issue has now been said solved, the increase in sign-on to signal followed recent changes in privacy policies highlighted by rival messaging platform WhatsApp.
On Wednesday, WhatsApp began unveiling its latest terms and privacy policies, allowing the popular messaging app to share a significant amount of user data with Facebook. The changes that take effect on February 8, 2021 are mandatory and users will not be able to use WhatsApp unless they accept the terms.
Users who agree to the terms can expect their WhatsApp account registration and phone number, transaction data, service related information, interaction information, mobile device information, IP address and other data to be shared with Facebook.
Facebook story The edge the updated terms associated with messages with businesses, and that nothing changes for ordinary users, but the lack of an opt-out option and the amount of data sharing highlighted by the updated policy has raised privacy issues.
Last month, WhatsApp publicly protested against Apple’s demand that developers provide information about the user data they collect for privacy labels in the App Store, saying it could give its messaging app a competitive edge.
Late last year, Apple imposed “privacy labels” on the App Store. For the first time, it’s easy to compare how much data an app associates with your account. If you look at messaging apps, the contrast is pretty strong pic.twitter.com/Ntw8sELMHX
– Morgan (@morqon) 5 January 2021
Signal’s increase in users has also been linked to tweets posted by Tesla CEO Elon Musk, who recently became the richest person in the world. As noted by The edge, Musk continued a trend Wednesday night to criticize Facebook with a Twitter entry following the attack on the U.S. Capitol building.
Musk shared a meme suggesting that the founding of Facebook eventually led to the events of the day, and this was followed by a tweet suggesting that its 41.5 million voters “use Signal”, presumably instead of a Facebook product like WhatsApp. Musk’s proposal was later tweeted again by Edward Snowden, another prominent supporter of Signal.
The Signal Foundation is co-founder and funded by Brian Acton, the former co-founder of WhatsApp who left the company after being acquired by Facebook in 2014. Acton later asked his followers on Twitter to remove Facebook.
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