Users turn to Telegram after privacy terms change in WhatsApp

Telegram new user accounts skyrocket by 25 million in 3 days

Telegrams gets 25 million new users in three daysThe abrupt surge might be caused by the WhatsApp privacy policy change

Pavel Durov, one of the Telegram instant messaging service creators,[1] has stated that since January 10, Telegram has registered over 25 million new users in three days. In the starting weeks of 2021, the service has surpassed 500 million active monthly users. Most of the new users came from Asia, followed by Europe and Latin America.[2]

The company CEO added:

This is a significant increase compared to last year, when 1.5M new users signed up every day. We've had surges of downloads before, throughout our 7-year history of protecting user privacy. But this time is different.

The abrupt surge in new Telegram users might have several reasons, which include privacy terms change on WhatsApp, the closing of conservative social network Parler, and the attack on the Capitol Building[3] when rioters took over offices of politicians on the 6th of January, which led to Facebook and Twitter banning all President Trump-related accounts for inciting the commotion.

It seems that having any application on your phone and being on social media can mean that your privacy is affected. Having high-technology gadgets at home, like doorbell cameras and surveillance systems for the security of your home, might give the opportunity for others to spy on you and jeopardizes your own personal security.

Telegram remains one of the best options for users' privacy

Telegram is a cloud-based instant messaging service that has been created in Russia in 2013 by two brothers Nikolai and Pavel Durov, who also created VKontakte – a Russian social media network. Due to their strict position on not giving up the encryption keys to authorities, the app was banned in several countries, including Russia.

Telegram started out by being just an encrypted instant messaging service that has let its users send multimedia messages, make video and video calls that, if chosen, were encrypted by a secure algorithm. Since then, it evolved into a popular social media platform, where app users can subscribe to channels (like on YouTube) and receive the latest news from an abundance of sources.

It's popular in many countries around the world, including Russia, Iran, Germany, South Korea, the USA, and others. And since its creators said that making a profit from Telegram isn't their goal,[4] no targeted based advertisements on any private data will ever be shown because it would undermine their principles.

Reasons behind the abrupt surge in Telegram users

There are more than a few reasons why Telegram has reported more than 25 million new users in 72 hours. One of them being that WhatsApp, a cross-platformed messaging service owned by Facebook, has announced last week that it changes its privacy policy, which would allow increased data sharing with its parent company Facebook. Spooked WhatsApp users immediately turned to the messaging app created by the two Russian brothers.

Another reason is connected to the President of the U.S. Donald Trump, as in the wake of the riot in the Capitol Building last Wednesday, Twitter and Facebook permanently suspended any accounts linked to the President for encouraging his supporters by claiming that the election was rigged.

Moreover, Google and Apple eliminated a conservative social network Parler app, from their stores. But before it was taken offline, Trump supporters were urged to install Telegram. It's reported[5] that 540,000 iPhone users in the U.S. have downloaded the app between Wednesday and Thursday.

Signal, another widely used communications app, also saw a significant rise in weekly downloads from 246,000 to 8.8 million.[6] The overwhelming traffic also caused the verification codes to be delayed, although Signal developers quickly resolved the situation.

About the author
Ugnius Kiguolis
Ugnius Kiguolis - The mastermind

Ugnius Kiguolis is a professional malware analyst who is also the founder and the owner of 2-Spyware. At the moment, he takes over as Editor-in-chief.

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