Whatsapp seems to be more popular nowadays but recently there are also voices of people who prefer not to use Whatsapp anymore. But why not? What are the alternatives?
Personal Data
Whatsapp is owned by Facebook. If you want to use Whatsapp, you need to create an account, which gives Facebook access to some of your personal data. This is a reason why some people prefer not to use Whatsapp anymore. Whatsapp will come under fire in January 2021 due to new terms of use that will take effect from February 2021. It is feared that Facebook will share personal data with commercial entities, which has already happened with Facebook user data in the past. This includes personal data like contacts, group apps you are active in, numbers you blocked, and the date your profile picture was taken. Do you want to know what information Whatsapp has about you? Then you can request a report on this. You can do this as follows:
Step 1Go to Settings in Whatsapp
Step 2Click on “Account”
Step 3: Click “Request Account Information”
Step 4: Click “Request Report,” and you’ll see after that, when you can download the report.
Alternatives to Whatsapp
For the reasons mentioned above, some people are looking for alternatives to Whatsapp and although these alternatives are less known, there are actually similar apps. An example is Signal, which is also a messaging service, but it is known for ensuring users’ privacy. Then there is Telegram, this same app that claims to be more secure than Whatsapp, but in reality Telegram is not entirely proof of privacy. The real private messaging service is Threema, this app calls itself safe and private messaging. One of the disadvantages of these apps is that they are less popular than Whatsapp and thus have fewer users. For example, if you decide to use Threema, but the friends you want to message do not have this app, they cannot be reached.
Switch together
Apps that offer an alternative to Whatsapp are getting more and more popular, but the number of Whatsapp users is not decreasing. “Lots of people use it side by side.” Technology expert Marie Jo de Liu says people are afraid of getting lost. NPO Radio 1. “Just get people involved. I subscribe to about 6 group apps that I can’t really live without, like sports and school.” In this case, it really is an option to download Whatsapp as well as an alternate messaging service on your mobile phone. For example, you can choose to keep Whatsapp for general group chats, but to continue conversations with, say, your partner, brother or sister via a more secure app like Signal. Do you really want to get rid of Whatsapp completely? Then you can still reach people who don’t have the alternate app via SMS. You should also bear in mind that with most service providers you have to pay by text messages, so fun messaging back and forth can be much more expensive than a messaging service.
(Pron: NPO Radio 1, iCulture.nl)
