Elon Musk tweet impact: Signal app registration system crashes as users look for 'WhatsApp alternative'

Elon Musk

The new WhatsApp privacy policy has led to users search for alternatives that do not share their confidential details with other apps and services. One such private encrypted messaging app is Signal, which saw a massive spike in registration after the world’s richest man Elon Musk recommended it to users.

Signal informed about the surge in user registration on Twitter. “Verification codes are currently delayed across several providers because so many new people are trying to join Signal right now (we can barely register our excitement). We are working with carriers to resolve this as quickly as possible,” the app’s official Twitter account tweeted.

The messaging service saw a spike in registration after Tesla CEO Elon Musk asked his followers to join Signal.

Use Signal

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 7, 2021

Signal is a cross-platform encrypted messaging service that is available on Android, iOS, and other operating systems. The messaging app offers end-to-end encryption for messages and media shared between users.

The service is being recommended as a WhatsApp alternative after the Facebook-owned messaging app recently updated its terms of service and privacy policy. The new update provides additional information on WhatsApp services and how the app processes user data. There are new sections that provide precise information on how data is collected by the app, including Transactions, Payments Data, and Location Information. The most important change centres around how the messaging platform shares information with Facebook and its subsidiaries.

WhatsApp users can choose to accept the new terms of service and privacy policy or delete their account.Elon Musk tweet: Signal app registration system crashes as users look for 'WhatsApp alternative'