More than 50 million Germans use WhatsApp. What sounds like a winning number is a trend reversal. Just a few years ago there were nearly 60 million people regularly messaging through Messenger from Facebook’s parent company, Meta.
An online survey shows that while 95 percent used WhatsApp regularly in 2018, it was now just 83 percent. Trend: further decrease.
Because even if WhatsApp itself does not display advertising: the application constantly provides the Meta advertising network with location data, phone numbers and communication logs of its users (who, when, how, with whom?)
At the latest, the changes in the terms and conditions in 2021 have led many users to think about leaving WhatsApp. there are enough alternatives
European rules are studiously ignored. Meta only had to pay a fine of 225 million euros in the fall of 2021 because WhatsApp refused to comply with the transparency obligation required by the General Data Protection Regulation (RGPD). For German data protection officer Ulrich Kelber, the €1 million fine was just a “small step in the right direction”.
The British got serious this week. They ordered their army a complete WhatsApp Brexit. There are “significant security concerns” about the app.
But getting out isn’t as easy in real life as it is in the British Army. I have been dreaming of finally being able to remove the app from my phone for years. But I can’t compete with die-hards (which, annoyingly, includes my daughter). Whether in the family, in the office or in the neighborhood, there is always someone who insists that you use the very convenient WhatsApp group to communicate.
A change would not be difficult at all. The British recommend that their military organize homeland defense through the Signal app from now on. It is operated by a non-profit organization that collects no data about users, is based in England, and is GDPR compliant.
And the best part: for users, Signal offers practically the same functions as WhatsApp. We would have to change. But it looks like we’re still about 50 million users away from that goal.
Introvert. Beer guru. Communicator. Travel fanatic. Web advocate. Certified alcohol geek. Tv buff. Subtly charming internet aficionado.
