UPSC Articles
Mass digital migration of users to messaging platform Signal
Part of: GS Prelims and GS- III – Sci & Tech
In news
- Facebook-owned WhatsApp recently updated its privacy policy which led to a mass digital migration of users from the messaging platform to its rivals such as Signal app.
Important value additions
- Signal is a cross-platform centralized encrypted messaging service developed by the Signal Technology Foundation and Signal Messenger LLC.
- The non-profit Signal Foundation was launched in 2018 with initial funding of $50 million from Brian Acton.
- It uses the Internet to send one-to-one and group messages, which can include files, voice notes, images and videos.
- It can also be used to make one-to-one and group voice and video calls.
- Signal uses standard cellular telephone numbers as identifiers and secures all communications to other Signal users with end-to-end encryption.
Recent Development:
- On 7 January 2021, Signal saw a surge in new user registrations due to a WhatsApp privacy policy change and a Signal endorsement by Elon Musk and Edward Snowden via Twitter.
- Between 12 and 14 January 2021, the number of Signal installations listed on Google Play increased from over 10 million to over 50 million.
