Whatsapp Signal post

posts/goodbye-whatsapp.md

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+---
+title: Goodbye Whatsapp, Hello Signal
+permalink: /goodbye-whatsapp/
+date: 2021-01-14
+tags: tech
+excerpt: With the update to Whatsapp's i.e. Facebook's terms and conditions forcing even more data overreach, the time has come to say goodbye to Whatsapp
+layout: layouts/post.njk
+---
+![](/content/images/2021/data-linked-to-you.png)
+[Image source](https://i.redd.it/0imry50rxy961.png)
+
+
+Anyone who uses Whatsapp would have seen the ultimatum Facebook is handing its users. The summary is, *give us your data or don't use our platform, you have until the 8th of Feb 2021*. The choice is very simple for me, Whatsapp has been something I have reluctantly used ever since it was bought by Facebook. However, not everyone in my network pays attention to privacy or values it as much as I value it. Reasonably my friends and family ask 'but why should stop using Whatsapp?' or 'but everyone I know is on Whatsapp'. These are great objections. In this post, I'll explain why I'm moving and hopefully tackle some of the common objections I've had.
+
+# 👨‍⚖️ The case for Signal
+
+## 😈 The faustian pact
+>if you are not paying for the product, you are the product
+
+In 2014 [Facebook bought Whatsapp for $19 billion](https://www.bbc.com/news/business-26266689). This was not out of charity. The intention was always to [integrate the valuable data](https://mashable.com/article/facebook-data-merge-privacy-concerns/) on you and monetise this huge purchase.
+
+Facebook's primary business is collecting and storing as much data about you to build complex models most people don't understand. But that doesn't matter as long as they can keep your eyeballs on their products they can sell your attention to whoever wants to buy it, from consumer product companies to people trying to manipulate election outcomes.
+
+In typical Orwellian fashion it will try everything to stop you, from [paying for ads on the app store to be the first result when you search for 'Signal'](https://twitter.com/signalapp/status/1348079223701794819/) to texting you to come back.
+
+![](/content/images/2021/fb-please-come-back.png)
+
+
+## ❓ Why Signal and not something else?
+[Here's what Signal](https://teddit.net/r/technology/comments/kt91qk/signal_private_messenger_team_here_we_support_an/) had to say:
+>Some quick facts about us: we are an **open-sourced nonprofit organization** whose **mission is to bring private and secure communication** to anyone and everyone. One of the reasons we opted for organizing as a nonprofit is that it aligned with our want to create a business model for a technology that wasn’t predicated on the need for personal data in any way.
+>
+>As an organization we work very hard to **not know anything about you all. There aren’t analytics in the app, we use end to end encryption for everything** from your messages and calls/video as well as all your metadata so we have no idea who you talk to or what you talk about
+
+## 🕵️‍♂️ Facebook is not about privacy
+Despite what Zuckerberg might say publicly, as with this change they are demonstrating they can change the rules whenever they like to what they most prefer, more of your data. This is a little concerning:
+
+![](/content/images/2021/whatsapp-policy-diff.png)
+[Source](https://twitter.com/Shiftreduce/status/1347546599384346624)
+
+## 💰 Whatsapp founder gave $50 mil to Signal
+Yes that's right, the co-founder of Whatsapp [gave $50 million dollars to Signal](https://signal.org/blog/signal-foundation/) to it's competitor. Why? He regrets selling to Facebook, when the Facebook Cambridge Analytica scandal happened several years back, he tweeted ['It is time. #deletefacebook'](https://twitter.com/brianacton/status/976231995846963201). Both Founders ended up leaving over over disputes of monetisation - well we here now and it's time to delete Whatsapp too.
+
+## 🚀 Elon Musk says so!
+Ok, this is more to relay a funny anecdote. the following tweet,
+
+![](/content/images/2021/elon-use-signal.png)
+
+[Led to a 1,100% surge in unrelated stock](https://www.cnbc.com/2021/01/08/elon-musk-boosts-signal-app-signal-advance-stock-jumps-1100percent.html) with a similar name. But in all seriousness, Elon does have a knack for doubling down on what the future technologies are going to be.
+
+# ✋ The objections
+
+## 💬 But my network/group chats are on Whatsapp
+And people are moving in droves. And we've done this before. In my lifetime, I've moved through the following for messenging:
+
+SMS/MMS ➡️ MSN ➡️ myspace ➡️  FB ➡️ Whatsapp ➡️ Signal ✅
+
+## 📱 Signal takes up too much room on my phone
+This is the same for Whatsapp. The chunky content you receive like files, videos and voice messages. You can clear out this content on either app.
+
+## 🔎 I've got nothing to hide, Facebook can have my data
+[Edward Snowden counters](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nothing_to_hide_argument#Criticism) this argument very well:
+>Arguing that you don't care about the right to privacy because you have nothing to hide is no different than saying you don't care about free speech because you have nothing to say." "When you say, ‘I have nothing to hide,’ you’re saying, ‘I don’t care about this right.’ You’re saying, ‘I don’t have this right, because I’ve got to the point where I have to justify it.’ The way rights work is, the government has to justify its intrusion into your rights.
+
+## 🏛 Companies like Facebook are killing democracy
+The huge swaths of data allow for incredible levels of targetting. The more privacy and data you give up the more targetable and manipulatable you are. 'But *I'm* not influenced by ads' - sadly you may not be aware of it. 93% of Americans believe they are in the top 50% of drivers - this is [illusory superiority](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Illusory_superiority). And based on the analytics, you and I very much are influenceable. Even if you are unmovable, frequently it's our friends unintentionally giving up our data, uploading photos of us, tagging us and just the mere fact they are part of your network allows data scientists to make highly accurate guesses of who you are - the inverse is true.
+
+>We have created tools that are ripping apart the social fabric of how society works
+- Chamath Palihapitiya, who once led Facebook’s user growth team
+
+## 😐 I won't make a difference if I move, I'm just one person
+This a [tragedy of the commons](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tragedy_of_the_commons) argument. People make the same argument when it comes to voting and democracy. If everyone believes that and doesn't vote, then the one dictator who wants to take power can walk down to the ballot box and cast that one vote and take control. An extreme hypothetical, but the point is, you might not feel like you might not make that much of a difference but collectively it does.
+
+## 🙃 I don't want another app on my phone
+This argument is pretty lazy but I have had it. We are downloading apps all the time, whether it's to pay for parking, collect coffee loyalty points, play games or the latest hip social media thing the cool kids are using. Ethical win for the price of moving your digits on that mini screen your eyes are glued to.
+
+## 🤔 Ok, you've piqued my interest, where can I learn even more?
+The following Netflix documentaries:
+- [The Great Hack](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4736550/?ref_=wl_li_tt)
+- [The Social Dilemma](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt11464826/?ref_=vp_back)
+
+Or 📚 [The People Vs Tech](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/39403470-the-people-vs-tech)
+
+
+## 🚀 I'm onboard, what can I do?
+- ✅ Download Signal!
+- >Be mindful that if you only delete WhatsApp from your device without using our in-app delete my account feature, your information will be stored with us for a longer period.
+https://www.whatsapp.com/legal/updates/privacy-policy?eea=0#privacy-policy-updates-how-we-work-with-other-facebook-companie
+
+- Replace your Whatsapp display photo with the Signal logo.
+
+- Update your 'bio' message to notify your contacts you won't be on Whatsapp after the 8th of Feb.
+
+- Leave a 1 star review on the app store.
+
+- For easier transition of group chats, [set your Signal group and send a link](https://support.signal.org/hc/en-us/articles/360051086971-Group-Link-or-QR-code) to your whatsapp group to help them migrate over.
+
+- If you found this post useful, feel free to share it.
+
+- Signal is a Not-For-Profit and relies on donations. You can donate directly. If you use Amazon Smile, you can set up the donations to go to the "Signal Technology Foundation".
+
+👋 See you on Signal!
+
+# ℹ️ Other tidbits
+- If your groups don't move, then a possible solution is to setup a WhatsApp<->Signal bridge using a separate phone+disposable sim using [Matrix bridges](https://matrix.org/bridges/)
+- [Interesting article](https://danielbmarkham.com/the-platform-is-the-enemy/), not on Whatsapp but social media generally.
+>With the phone, I know who I want to call and why. I push buttons and we are connected. The tech helps me do what I've already decided to do. With Facebook, on the other hand, they get paid to show me things in a certain order. The premise is that I'm waiting (or "exploring" if you prefer) until I find something to interact with. The phone is a tool for me to use. I am the tool Facebook is using. I am no longer acting. I am reacting.
+- AMA on reddit - [here's the teddit link](https://teddit.net/r/technology/comments/kt91qk/signal_private_messenger_team_here_we_support_an/).
+- [Apparently](https://officechai.com/stories/whatsapps-original-founder-brian-actons-new-app-signal-becomes-top-free-app-in-india/) 'Signal has become India’s top free app on the App store. More than 100,000 users installed Signal across the app stores of Apple and Google in the last two days'