WhatsApp gives users an ultimatum: Share data with Facebook or stop using app • Hacker News Board

Re: WhatsApp gives users an ultimatum: Share data with Facebook or stop using app

#31

Post by hyko » Wed, Jan 06, 2021, 10:13 PM UTC

FB owned = FB. Why is that so hard to understand?

Re: WhatsApp gives users an ultimatum: Share data with Facebook or stop using app

#32

Post by petersonh » Wed, Jan 06, 2021, 10:14 PM UTC

frereubu wrote: post #22

I'd love to give up WhatsApp, but network effects are key here. I tried moving my extended family off WhatsApp onto Signal a couple of years ago and it failed miserably because the app wasn't nearly as easy to use, and they had all their friends on Whatsapp. Has anyone here had any success moving a large group of people onto something like Signal or Telegram? If so, do you have any tips?

I had success moving my friend group onto Signal, but that was a group of young-ish, privacy interested, anti-Facebookers, so it wasn't much of a hard sell.

Re: WhatsApp gives users an ultimatum: Share data with Facebook or stop using app

#33

Post by anoncake » Wed, Jan 06, 2021, 10:14 PM UTC

rpastuszak wrote: post #19

Signal and Telegram seem to be the most commonly mentioned alternatives here. Which one do you prefer and why?

Signal is just another walled garden, making it a no-go for me.

Re: WhatsApp gives users an ultimatum: Share data with Facebook or stop using app

#34

Post by gotem » Wed, Jan 06, 2021, 10:14 PM UTC

srfvtgb wrote: post #27

frereubu wrote: post #22

I'd love to give up WhatsApp, but network effects are key here. I tried moving my extended family off WhatsApp onto Signal a couple of years ago and it failed miserably because the app wasn't nearly as easy to use, and they had all their friends on Whatsapp. Has anyone here had any success moving a large group of people onto something like Signal or Telegram? If so, do you have any tips?

Fortunately I don't live in a place where WhatsApp is completely pervasive. I personally had luck saying "if you want to contact me use Signal, iMessage or at the very least SMS" and when people asked why, I would cite Cambridge Analytica.

Which turned out to be a bunch of hyped up marketing talk. Why does every person in SV I know seem to love the narrative that we’re being mind controlled by micro-targeted FB ads, which to be fair is what I used to believe.

Everyone on HN switches between “ads don’t work and targeting is BS” to “ads are manipulating our entire country by taking our data”

Re: WhatsApp gives users an ultimatum: Share data with Facebook or stop using app

#35

Post by bigiain » Wed, Jan 06, 2021, 10:15 PM UTC

frereubu wrote: post #22

I'd love to give up WhatsApp, but network effects are key here. I tried moving my extended family off WhatsApp onto Signal a couple of years ago and it failed miserably because the app wasn't nearly as easy to use, and they had all their friends on Whatsapp. Has anyone here had any success moving a large group of people onto something like Signal or Telegram? If so, do you have any tips?

From the opposite point of view, in the last hour I’ve been added to 3 different group chats on Signal that were all previously WhatsApp chats (in which I did not participate, in spite of many of those friends repeatedly asking me to).

That’s added at least 20 or 30 friends/acquaintances into my signal contact list that I’m 99% sure downloaded signal for the first time this morning.

Re: WhatsApp gives users an ultimatum: Share data with Facebook or stop using app

#36

Post by DiederikvandenB » Wed, Jan 06, 2021, 10:15 PM UTC

Does this also apply to European customers, given GDPR?

Re: WhatsApp gives users an ultimatum: Share data with Facebook or stop using app

#37

Post by paulz_ » Wed, Jan 06, 2021, 10:16 PM UTC

frereubu wrote: post #22

I'd love to give up WhatsApp, but network effects are key here. I tried moving my extended family off WhatsApp onto Signal a couple of years ago and it failed miserably because the app wasn't nearly as easy to use, and they had all their friends on Whatsapp. Has anyone here had any success moving a large group of people onto something like Signal or Telegram? If so, do you have any tips?

I've moved some group chats to discord and have had pretty good luck with it so far.

Re: WhatsApp gives users an ultimatum: Share data with Facebook or stop using app

#38

Post by read_if_gay_ » Wed, Jan 06, 2021, 10:16 PM UTC

srfvtgb wrote: post #29

A lot of people mention Telegram, as far as I can tell, it's a worse Signal. What advantages does it have over Signal?

Depending on your perspective, Signal is actually a worse Telegram. Telegram has the best UX and feature set ouf of all messaging apps, and privacy does not outweigh convenience for the vast majority of people.

Re: WhatsApp gives users an ultimatum: Share data with Facebook or stop using app

#39

Post by [deleted] » Wed, Jan 06, 2021, 10:17 PM UTC

frereubu wrote: post #22

I'd love to give up WhatsApp, but network effects are key here. I tried moving my extended family off WhatsApp onto Signal a couple of years ago and it failed miserably because the app wasn't nearly as easy to use, and they had all their friends on Whatsapp. Has anyone here had any success moving a large group of people onto something like Signal or Telegram? If so, do you have any tips?

[deleted]

Re: WhatsApp gives users an ultimatum: Share data with Facebook or stop using app

#40

Post by bigiain » Wed, Jan 06, 2021, 10:18 PM UTC

rpastuszak wrote: post #19

Signal and Telegram seem to be the most commonly mentioned alternatives here. Which one do you prefer and why?

Signal, because I have more trust in Moxie that the Telegram team.

I have not used Telegram though, so that’s not a preference based on usability, just on trust.