The man who created WhatsApp created Signal as well, had to leave WhatsApp because of this controversy
Harleen Kaur Grewal
Pune, January 14, 2021: WhatsApp was formed in 2009 by Brian Acton and Jan Kaum. Both worked at the Yahoo company, but quit in 2009 and created WhatsApp the very same year. Initially, they had to pay money to run WhatsApp, but in February 2014, Facebook bought WhatsApp for around $19 billion (Rs 1.2 lakh crore). After this, WhatsApp became free for all.
Why Brian Acton left WhatsApp
There was a dispute over the monetization of WhatsApp. According to Brian Acton, he made a big mistake selling WhatsApp to Facebook. Acton says that by selling WhatsApp to Facebook, the privacy of users was sold alongside. “I am living every day with this mistake.” However, Acton decided to create a new messaging app Signal to rectify his mistake, where the privacy of users is given great importance.
Signal runs a non-profit foundation. It is known as Signal Foundation. Signal is a California based American app. After leaving WhatsApp, Brian Acton started worrying about the privacy of his WhatsApp users. Soon after, Brian Acton started working with Moxie Marlinspike to create a new secure app. Signal is very popular these days. Its co-founders are Brian Acton and Moxie Marlinspike. Together, the two created the Signal app in 2018.
Signal provides an encrypted messaging app to users. It is an open-source application, which is legions beyond WhatsApp in terms of privacy. Apps sent from Signal are encrypted. Private messages and media will not be accessible on this platform. They cannot be stored on any server. Unlike WhatsApp, Signal only accesses phone numbers.
Signal app has gained popularity worldwide, including in India. The Signal app accounts for 30% of total growth. Of this, 16 percent is from India alone. After the introduction of WhatsApp’s new privacy policy, Signal App sees gradual acceptance in India. The downloads have increased by 79 percent from 1 January 2021 to 7 January 2021. According to a report by Sensor Tower, from 6 January 2021 to 10 January 2021, Signal App was installed around 7.5 million times, which is 4200 percent more than the previous week. Elon Musk, the world’s richest person, has spoken about using the app in one of his tweets.
