Perhaps you received a message from WhatsApp on January 4 asking you to accept the new contract. Or you have a notice on your cell phone warning you that your version of WhatsApp has become obsolete as of 19/Feb/2021. I will not.

I'll explain why.

The new Whatsapp contract and its terms unfortunately cannot be discussed nor can you choose between different options as acceptance is mandatory. Users will either fully accept the changes or they will no longer be able to continue using it. This is the position of Facebook (owner of WhatsApp) towards its users.  Just those users that with their accounts and their clicks have made the fortune of this technological big that is worth 700 billion dollars. Options? None.

The concern is that user data could will end up on Facebook.

Yet, in 2014, when Facebook bought WhatsApp it promised that under the agreement reached, WhatsApp will continue to operate independently. As of May 15, 2021 however, I seem to understand, WhatsApp will no longer be independent.

The award-winning web hosting company Namecheap has informed its customers these days that:"Since WhatsApp’s announcement, rival app Signal received an 18-fold increase in download numbers, and Telegram reported a 500% increase in users."

What is going on?

By signing the new contract, "WhatsApp warns that the user is no longer offered any choice about whether or not to transfer their data to Facebook, Instagram and other group companies." (1).

But back to our subject, the fear of having one's data also on Facebook is creating a strong migration movement towards competing apps that are many: Signal, Telegram, Viber Out, Wire etc. 

Signal is a free chat app whose encryption keys, which is how our data remains secret, are hidden in the user's device, in their cell phone, so with a top security system. Signal's website reads:"There are no ads, no affiliate marketers, and no creepy tracking in Signal...Signal is an independent nonprofit. We're not tied to any major tech companies, and we can never be acquired by one either." It's run by a nonprofit foundation. Among its fans: Elon Musk and the European Commission. It is an open source project. Strengths:State-of-the-art encryption and secure chats.

Telegram is a free chat app with a user-activated encryption system. The founder has stated that he will not sell the company like WhatsApp did. "Telegram must continue to serve the world as an example of a tech company that strives for perfection and integrity. And, as the sad examples of our predecessors show, that is impossible if you become part of a corporation." (2) It also states that it does not sell user data. Strengths: versatility and confidentiality.

And even more. You'll be spoiled for choice: Element, Wire, Jitsi, iMessage, Skype, Viber, Kik, Snapchat,  Wickr Me, , etc.

The NewYorkTimes clarifies for us what changes in WhatsApp's contract terms are shifting users to the other apps."Facebook knows the phone numbers being used, how often the app is opened, the resolution of the device screen, the location estimated from the internet connection and more...For anyone who started using WhatsApp since 2016 — and that’s many people — Facebook has been collecting a lot of information without an option to refuse....But yes, WhatsApp is Facebook, a company many don’t trust." (3). What is of most concern is the transfer of data.

Aside from the past scandals that Facebook has been involved in and which are now well-known, currently more than 45 state prosecutors in the US have sued Facebook accusing it of illegal actions to acquire rivals and stifle competition. "For nearly a decade, Facebook has used its dominance and monopoly power to crush smaller rivals and snuff out competition, all at the expense of everyday users," said New York Attorney General Letitia James, who is leading the legal fight by the states. Basically, the article concludes "The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is arguing is that there's a reason why Facebook came to dominate this highly lucrative sector - it acquired the competition illegally." (4).

Conclusions

The NYT's Shira Ovide writes well, noting that Facebook is a company with huge sums of cash and a stock value of $700 billion and therefore can afford the best law firms and software engineers and "understanding what happens with our digital data seems to require advanced training in computer science and a law degree".(5)

In light of the above I have therefore decided to stop updating WhatsApp and download the two alternative apps, Signal and Telegram and maybe a few others just in case. So much so, whether on one or the other I will be notified when friends or a company or co-workers use these apps. On top of that, it's also easy to migrate chats to the other apps (6).

Another reason that motivates me to take this step is that caution is never too much and there are already enough reasons for concern today to go out and create more for an app on a cell phone. And then, ultimately, it's a form of opposition to a less than grateful dictat and a lack of promise given to those who created the fortune of Facebook & C.

But there is more and it will only be a guess, but in my opinion, given the history of this case, this could be just the first step to bring WatsApp to pay. 

By now the giants of the web do what they want: have they become, thanks to all of us, stronger than governments and authorities? In this case, Requiem for the small user.

Maybe it's a good idea to change now.

References_____________________________________________________________

(1) Whatsapp si riprende la privacy: Facebook potrà accedere a tutti i dati - La Stampa 

(2) https://t.me/durov/142 

(3) The Truth About Your WhatsApp Data - The New York Times (nytimes.com) 

(4) Facebook facing US legal action over competition - BBC News 

(5) The Truth About Your WhatsApp Data - The New York Times (nytimes.com) 

(6) https://www.lastampa.it/tecnologia/tutorial/2021/02/01/news/fuga-da-whatsapp-ecco-come-migrare-le-chat-su-telegram-1.39844484