TORONTO – Encrypted chat app Signal remained offline on Saturday as the company faced technical difficulties amid a wave of new downloads as users fled WhatsApp’s new privacy terms.
Signal, a rival to Telegram and WhatsApp, also uses end-to-end encryption for secure messaging.
The company tweeted Friday that they were experiencing “technical difficulties” when “millions and millions of new users” downloaded their app.
Many of those new users are fleeing WhatsApp and their new privacy terms that they announced last week.
WhatsApp, which is owned by Facebook, told its two billion users that if they want to continue using their service, they must allow it to share their data with the parent company – except users from the UK and Europe.
WhatsApp said in a blog post that their terms were not new, just expanded – and they can’t see private messages or hear personal calls – and neither can Facebook.
The rapid exodus of users following their announcement prompted WhatsApp to delay the implementation of their extended privacy terms from the original date of February 8, 2021 to May 15, 2021.
Signal said they were adding new servers and additional capacity to handle the new peak traffic.