At the start of 2021, the number of downloads of the application developed by the Signal Foundation had jumped by 4,000%, making instant messaging number 1 ahead of WhatsApp on the Play Store and the App Store. Signal is testing a feature that will strengthen its reputation for personal data security.
Far ahead of Telegram or Signal, WhatsApp is the most popular messaging application in the world, by far. The Meta service can pride itself on being counted among the 2 billion monthly active users. Free, availability on absolutely all platforms, end-to-end encryption, video calls with up to 1024 participants; There are many reasons to adopt this messaging solution. That said, all is not rosy in the land of WhatsApp. Since 2014, the company has belonged to Meta, the parent company of Facebook, with which she shares information of its users.
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Internet users most concerned about their privacy have therefore turned to applications that are more respectful of their personal information such as Telegram or even Signal. The latter only totals 50 million monthly active users, but it has become very popular with activists, journalists and activists of all kinds, who use it to communicate securely. The Twitter Member lukOlejnik posted a screenshot displaying a very practical new feature that will further set Signal apart from its competitors.
Signal will replace phone numbers with usernames for added security
The Internet user writes: “ Signal tests username feature. Which means you won’t have to provide your phone number to people you want to contact. You will be able set your phone number to private and not share it.” Supporting screenshot, we see that a form already exists to create a Signal username.
Signal is testing username feature. This would mean that you would not have to provide your phone number to people you want to contact. You will be able to set your phone number as private and not share it. pic.twitter.com/OUI2S8dEtp
— Lukasz Olejnik, Ph.D, LL.M (@lukOlejnik) November 8, 2023
For his part, Meta tries to reassure its users those most concerned about their privacy. The application continues to integrate features relating to the protection of personal data. Rather than letting users hide behind an alias, WhatsApp will very soon offer them the option to create an alternative profile.