It is obvious that social media goers are keen on their privacy every time they are online. The recent privacy change on WhatsApp appears to affirm this. WhatsApp is owned by Facebook which has been accused of data breaches in the past.
Facebook appears to be waking up from their slumber after realizing the messenger users are opting out and signing up with its competition; Signal and Telegram. Facebook trust among its users has been on the downtrend and WhatsApp sharing data with its parent social platform is being seen as a red flag.

Is Signal the Destination?

After word went round about WhatsApp policy change, the Signal app has seen over 8million downloads from January 4. This is a big setback for the popular messaging platform, WhatsApp with more than 2billion subscribers globally.
With user privacy on the line, Facebook credibility is taking the beating. This has been complicated by the fact that it policy change touches on user data and privacy. With more social network options available in the market, the WhatsApp popularity might be headed south.

Boost for Signal and Telegram

Its no doubt that a WhatsApp slip is a gain for Signal and Telegram. This is evident after Tesla CEO, Elon Musk advised social network goer to “use Signal” instead.
With the “new policy”, users appear to have turned their attention to Telegram which also doubles up as cryptocurrency haven. Telegram app downloads have also increased since the policy news broke out. 
However, Facebook appears to have realized their mistake and are trying had to soothe users to stay put. Given its past history with user data, the exodus to competitor apps appears to increase by the day.
However, it is up to the WhatsApp user to look at the new user policy and make informed decisions. With Signal and Telegram being the major beneficiaries, Facebook and WhatsApp will have themselves to blame going into the future.