WhatsApp stresses privacy as users flock to rivals

If you one of the approx 50% of Americans who are conservative, big tech looks down on you and despises everything you believe and stand for. They believe you need moral guidance and re-education by them and that your views have no place in society.

I find it difficult to understand why these major tech companies are so willing to offend and lose up to half thier US customers.

Facebook claiming privacy? That's a laugh.

We use nextcloud talk. Text, voice, video chat. Free Software. No concerns about privacy, since we run the servers. Clients for every platform, or use the web interface. For more privacy, use a vpn for the connection. We run a vpn too.

There are other choices for all this stuff. Don't just follow the crowd. That's how people ended up on facebook.

Instagram updated its terms of service in December and continued use is consent to access all content on your device, "as well as devices nearby", and all account information associated with your device (to include your accounts with third parties, such as your banks, investment companies, phone companies, etc.) What could go wrong?

I use 2 alternatives instead of WA which is not installed on my phone.

Signal is good though still based in US and need your phone number. However is free and this is what people wants. I use it but to make people switch it or even keep along their "irreplaceable" Whatsapp doesn't work. Excuse: My all friends and business are using it. Well...good luck.

Threema - Swiss based and cost only $2.99 one time purchase ( less than latte you buy everyday ). However for many it's a looot of money for the app. ( excuse again ). Threema runs on own servers and you don't need phone number or email to use it. It's based on ID and QR code. UI is much better then Signal or WA.

You may check this comparison:

https://threema.ch/en/blog/posts/messenger-comparison-2021

They will try to suppress the alternatives.

I don't believe WhatsApp censor yet, but wouldn't put it past them trying at some future date.

I think these companies may have overreached, both in their interventions in broader society but also in the extent to which they mine and monetize user data and usage habits.

Plus we are seeing a lot more of and about the people who run and have become rich from these platforms.  One look at Zuckerborg and Adolf Twittler and Satya Nadella and their ilk and their products no longer seem so cool any more.

...people flocked to rivals Telegram and Signal following a tweak to its terms.

Oops.

The problem is the oligarchs running Big Tech and their censorship of dissenters.

Good. People voting against big tech with their feet.

If big tech keeps insists on censorship and privacy violations they'll continue to lose large chunks of their customers.