Why Signal is not your final destination? | Understanding Web 3 | User Sovereignty

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2021 begins with the great messenger exodus that we are witnessing — ‘WhatsApp to Signal’. Many of our friends have shifted and many others are in a parallel mode with both WhatsApp and Signal services running on their devices. Its triggered by a change in the privacy policy of WhatsApp. They are planning to use our WhatsApp data across other platforms in the Facebook (FB) group for its advertisements and other services. But is Signal our final destination? No. It’s just the interim stop before we move on to a truly sovereign internet where we own & control our data and this blog explains that future.

Why such an Exodus?

Why did this policy change trigger such a privacy concern when our data is being used by Google, Amazon and the likes for so long? The shift from WhatsApp to Signal was not just because of user’s privacy concerns — it was also due to the notorious FB brand which has the reputation of using user data to influence even elections and represents a powerful platform that monetizes our data and makes us their product, with least concern about us. Had WhatsApp not been sold to FB in 2014 and stayed independent — this backlash wouldn’t have been this stronger, as the WhatsApp brand would have been perceived cleaner.

How different is Signal compared to WhatsApp and What’s common?

As of now, Signal Messenger LLC develops & owns the Signal App and Signal protocol (end to end encryption) and Signal foundation is the non-profit organization that funds the LLC. WhatsApp on the other hand is incorporated as a Company. Both of them have a common link — one of the founders ‘Brian Acton’.

During the initial years of WhatsApp (i.e., pre-FB), it used to maintain the Signal standards of user privacy and things started changing once FB took over. Conflicting views over user privacy resulted in Acton walking away from FB taking a financial hit personally.

But why did he sell WhatsApp then?

Acton’s interview puts the onus on the lookout for a larger benefit by giving up user privacy.

So, it’s clear — the financial pressures and influence from shareholders and employees drove them to give up the privacy of billions of users in return for financial benefits.

Now for argument sake, let’s take that Acton has made good money by selling WhatsApp and as long as he is in charge, Signal will maintain high privacy standards. But you see, an institution cannot be dependent on one person. Tomorrow when he changes, who knows what direction Signal may take.

What’s possible tomorrow with Signal?

Signal aims to run its service with donations from Patrons. Another model advocated by Acton is to introduce a small service fee for users while guaranteeing their privacy. But will everyone be willing to pay for what they enjoyed for free? Between a paid Signal and free WhatsApp — what’ll you choose — Privacy or Freebies?

As per Signal site, it’s clear that the current Privacy model is not cast on stone.

Tomorrow as circumstances change, its privacy policies could change. So, will we migrate to the next messenger service then? Moreover, it could get acquired just like WhatsApp.

What’s the Permanent Solution?

You must understand that Privacy is a fundamental right for a civilized society. But the wide spread user base of the likes of Google (privacy standards similar to WhatsApp) over that of ProtonMail (with privacy standards similar to Signal) shows that we have less awareness or less concern about privacy. Privacy, many a times, is thought as an option than a fundamental right. Public reaction that we see now with WhatsApp privacy updates are exceptions. Such a massive reaction doesn’t appear many a times. And unless there is a unified reaction, the service provider company always wins. Here also, WhatsApp is ultimately going to change its policy to what it wants very soon.

You see, the current era of internet is called Web 2 which is ruled by the platform companies like Google, Facebook etc… Power is centralized in the hands of few platforms as they possess our data & control the applications. This gives them enormous control and authority to change policies, pull down our content or videos and use our data even without our explicit permission and without sharing a dime from the billion-dollar profit generated from our data. As long as we are in Web 2 era, we’ll be at the mercy of few companies — today WhatsApp, tomorrow Signal and so on.

True power comes to the user with the Web 3 era, in which your data is solely owned by you. It’s a decentralized world that connects a network of computers each owning their data and applications, with service companies just being an application provider among many. This will be a world with interoperable networks of computers and decentralized applications (or DApps) where my data remains with me, but its integrity ensured by a network of computers connected with me. So, I get sovereign access to my identity and my data, along with responsibility for keeping in intact.

Web 3, hence, is the permanent solution and advancements in Blockchain technology is taking us there. Innovative blockchain platforms like Ethereum are fostering this journey. Multiple brains are focusing on making this a reality and that future is not very far. That’s the permanent solution to the user privacy problems that we see today and definitely not Signal.

This Blog originally was posted @ https://meekcitizen.wordpress.com/2021/01/24/why-signal-is-not-your-final-destination-understanding-web-3-user-sovereignty/