WhatsApp told its two billion users they must allow it to share data with its parent company Facebook if they wished to continue using it, and initially gave people until 8 February to accept its updated terms or stop using the service. After seeing rivals (Signal and Telegrams) download numbers soar, WhatsApp has now changed the cut-off date to 15 May, saying it would use the time to clear up misinformation. Signal is currently experiencing technical difficulties as it's the number of downloads jumped considerably.

I find it funny this was the straw the broke the camel back, but I am happy seeing my Signal contacts list growing daily, managed to migrate 2 work-related groups to Signal. I can use it on my PC, Android and iPad (thank god). I only use my iPad at work and Whatsapp slow roll out of features meant it was the last messaging platform to offer a PC client and they still haven't given iPad users the option to use it on our tablets... no ONLINE status nonsense either. 

It's amazing how dominant WhatsApp has been despite being the worst, while I managed to stay off Facebook and Instagram, my hands were twisted to keep WhatsApp as it's the App most used at work....

They were very opportunistic because they advertised like crazy before FB had to eat dirt and reverse their stupid ass decision

I tried to engage Telegram way back in 2017, but most of people still on Wpp so it's collecting dust on my hard disk since then

The western Line alternatives but without the cool mascots.

Good. Signal is probably one of the best options with good usability. Even if some day it gets sold or otherwise turns bad, it'll still have weakened Facebook's dominance. I wish something that wasn't tied to phone numbers became popular instead, but Signal ought to be a great option as well.

Anyway, before I used to have one contact in Signal, now it's seven. I don't have a lot of contacts, so that's actually a good number already.

Telegram is a message that is sent through a telegraph. No one uses them anymore and instead things like Telegram are used today. 

Ooh, I know the last one. It's when you want to send a message and it gets send in morse code over the old telephone wires! The last telegram was send on September 20 2013.

.. - .----. ... / -- .- -.- .. -. --. / .- / -.-. --- -- . -... .- -.-. -.- / --- ...- . .-. / - .... . / .. -. - . .-. -. . - ..--.. :o

Is 7 years not a bit early to repurpose a name...

I guess signal isn't very original either.

At this point I'm done with social media. I will check things every now and then to see what friends and relatives are up to but I'm not planning to post stuff anywhere right now. Not just about the data but the idea of a company deciding who can post what is disturbing to me. It's their company so they can enforce whatever policy they want, but it's my right to not be on that platform anymore. I'm done with Facebook, Instagram, etc.

Is Signal any better, or just so in the short term before they turn into the monsters they are trying to replace? And will they get shut down by the big liberal media overlords like Parler did?

Uh, neither WhatsApp nor Signal can really be considered social media, and you can't really call Telegram social media either. Think more along the lines of Skype, IRC, and Discord, and you're closer. In case that's not clear enough, here's some more: They're all for instant messaging, whereas social media rarely is about instant messaging.

Oh, interesting! Thanks for explaining!