Published 15:39 IST, January 8th 2021
Signal app country origin: Know where the trending app was made
Signal app is making the headlines right after WhatsApp made their new privacy policy clear. But is Signal safe? Know about Signal app country origin and more.
- Tech
- 2 min read
On Wednesday, every WhatsApp user was greeted with an announcement of a revised privacy policy signalling that users’ personal data will be shared to its parent company, Facebook. “WhatsApp must receive or collect some information to operate, provide, improve, understand, customise, support and market our Services, including when you install, access, or use our Services,” read the new policy. The new terms of service and privacy policy will come into effect on February 8th.
WhatsApp users are not taking this announcement lightly. The sudden change prompted many users to storm out of the app and join the queue to other popular messenger apps like Telegram and iMessage instead. An app that came to attention amidst the hasty shift was Signal. Tesla CEO Elon Musk very bluntly tweeted and encouraged his followers to switch to the Signal app. Since then, many users went on to try Signal, which led to an evident system crash as the app was not used to handling the influx of new users. Fortunately, the crisis has been resolved and the app is now confirming new registrations without any delay.
Signal App Country Origin: Is Signal App a US App?
Signal Messenger LLP was founded by Moxie Marlinespike and Brian Acton in 2018. Signal app country origin is from California, USA. Signal and WhatsApp share a history. Brian Acton, the former co-founder of WhatsApp had bid his company a goodbye once Facebook acquired it and soon after, got onboard with Moxie Marlinspike to create the Signal Foundation. The risk of user privacy was one of the concerns for Acton and the reason for quitting WhatsApp.
Know more about Signal
While WhatsApp collects data from your Device ID, Advertising Data, Purchase History, Product Interaction, Performance Data, Payment Info, Search History, Location Data, etc., Signal only asks for your mobile number for registration purposes. In fact, the app doesn’t even link your number to your account identity. Also, Signal doesn’t even store any user data. Their code is open source so that anyone can see how the app is written and ensure that the high privacy standards as proclaimed, are met. Signal is available on Android, iOS and Chrome. It’s free of cost and has the same features as any other messenger apps.
Updated 15:39 IST, January 8th 2021
