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A comment on WhatsApp gives users an ultimatum: Share data with Facebook or stop using app. Parent comment

Re:WhatsApp gives users an ultimatum: Share data with Facebo... by kekebo on Thursday January 07, 2021 @04:22AM (#25669010)
Another key difference would be the business model. Signal being a non-profit[0] does not provide any guarantees for the app to not become 'hostile' in the future, but any such development motivated by personal profits would at least require a change of organization type, which I assume wouldn't go unnoticed.

[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Signal_Foundation

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Re:WhatsApp gives users an ultimatum: Share data with Facebo... by lrvick on Thursday January 07, 2021 @04:39AM (#25669136)
It was well noticed when WhatsApp changed hands to Facebook, and yet the vast majority of users didn't move to anything else because of network effects.

Once users are in an ecosystem it takes years to convince them to change and only after they hit a high discomfort tipping point.

If Signal ran short on funding and got bought by Google or Facebook all the tracking would kick in and most users would stay.

We must stop herding people into walled gardens. It is unethical and always backfires.

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