After WhatsApp's new privacy terms, Telegram, Signal see rise in demand

• Messaging apps like Telegram and Signal are seeing a surge in demand after WhatsApp's new terms sparked debate
• WhatsApp came under fire on social media after it asked users to agree to let Facebook Inc collect user data
• Signal’s popularity shot up further on Thursday after it was endorsed by Elon Musk

After WhatsApp's new terms sparked debate on social media, other messaging apps like Telegram and Signal are witnessing a surge in demand.

WhatsApp, which uses Signal’s encryption technology, laid out fresh terms on Wednesday, asking users to agree to let owner Facebook Inc and its subsidiaries collect user data, including their phone number and location.

Read more: WhatsApp update: Here are two alternatives if you're concerned about privacy

Some privacy activists questioned the “accept our data grab or get out” move on Twitter, and suggested users to switch to apps like Signal and Telegram.

Signal’s popularity shot up further on Thursday after it was endorsed by Elon Musk, who has one of the most-followed accounts on Twitter and by the micro-blogging site’s top boss Jack Dorsey.

More than 100,000 users installed Signal across the app stores of Apple and Google in the last two days, while Telegram picked up nearly 2.2 million downloads, according to data analytics firm Sensor Tower.

Read more: Does WhatsApp update impact people's private communication with family and friends?

New installs of WhatsApp fell 11% in the first seven days of 2021 compared with the prior week, but that still amounted to an estimated 10.5 million downloads globally, Sensor Tower said.