Elon Musk Tweet: Disparages WhatsApp Recommends (Use Signal)

Elon Musk Tweet Disparages WhatsApp Recommends Use Signal After the controversy sparked over the recent WhatsApp update, which requires the transfer of data from its users to Facebook, the high-profile businessman Elon Musk, posted an inflammatory tweet that ignited the powder. The now richest man in the world, also the founder of Tesla and boss of SpaceX, has recommended Internet users use Signal messaging.

Elon Musk Tweet

Facebook, which claims more than 2 billion users worldwide, has been in turmoil for a few days, literally pilloried for giving its WhatsApp users until February 8 to accept its new conditions (Facebook data sharing) otherwise they will have to stop using it.

But on Thursday, January 7, high-profile businessman Elon Musk, Elon Musk put the "Signal" app in the spotlight. He posted a concise tweet: "Use Signal," the now richest man in the world wrote to his 41.6 million subscribers. Jack Dorsey, the co-founder of Twitter himself, was quick to retweet the post to his account. Hours after Elon Musk Tweet Edward Snowden, the whistleblower, and former CIA and National Security Agency employee, took to promoting Signal on Twitter.

Today Signal is used by big names in tech, like the co-founder of Twitter, boss of Tesla and SpaceX, and whistleblower Edward Snowden, to name a few.

For many observers, this endorsement of great personalities and other experts for Signal is a sign of confidence for those who want to turn to an application other than WhatsApp. The application, for its part, intends to capitalize on these supports: on the home page of the site, there is a quote from Edward Snowden ("I use Signal every day") and another from Jack Dorsey, who extols email security.

But what is Signal and why do Elon Musk and other figures recommend it? According to the Indian site Indanexpress which presented an overview on alternatives to WhatsApp (Signal, Viber, and Telegram), the best is the one recommended by the founder of Tesla and boss of SpaceX.

Multiplatform and high level of security

According to this site, the Signal application is more protective of the privacy of its users and can be used for free on iOS, Android, iPad, Mac, Windows, and Linux). Part of Signal's security is its end-to-end encryption, which encrypts messages, photos and other documents sent through its email. “With this technology, no one can see this information except the users who are part of the chat,” Indanexpress points out.

But unlike WhatsApp, Signal's code is open-source, meaning anyone can access it, see how it's built, fix any bugs and even replicate it for other services. . Another difference: Signal is funded by a non-profit organization. “Former WhatsApp co-founder Brian Acton helped found the Signal Foundation with Marlinspike, and also contributed $ 50 million to fund the app. It does not sell your data, does not monetize it and does not contain advertisements ”, indicates the Indian site. And to add: when it comes to protecting the privacy of users, not belonging to a company whose business model is based on the collection of personal data, as is the case of WhatsApp with Facebook, is always a significant added value.

Groups, video and audio calls

Among the other advantages of Signal over Watshap, Indianexpress cites support for group features with a maximum of 150 members not counting recently added group video calls. The app also supports regular video and audio calls, which are also end-to-end encrypted.

Screen lock and other features

The user can also activate the disappearance of messages for each chat. The app also incorporates a screen lock feature. The user can also set a PIN code for the Signal account to ensure the security of their account. Other features include fingerprint locking, receipt reading, location sharing, relay calls, chat archiving, and more.

There is also a feature called "Message Requests" which gives the user the ability to block, delete or accept messages from an unknown person. According to the Indian site, Signal also allows the user to react to any message with emojis. The user also has the option of not allowing a user to take cat screenshots.

To add anyone to a group, the individual will need to accept the group invitation, unlike WhatsApp. The app's storage management is really good and quite similar to WhatsApp, Indianexpress notes. Users can erase messages, delete videos or pictures and check different files in the storage management tool.

Either way, many users have turned to Signal. The app was reportedly downloaded more than 100,000 times in just two days on the App Store and Google Play on January 6 and 7, according to Sensor Tower data reported by Reuters.