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Today, I finally deleted WhatsApp (sh.itjust.works)

submitted 2 days ago by AcornTickler@sh.itjust.works to c/privacy@lemmy.ml

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It has been a long journey.

I have been gradually convincing my family, close relatives and friends to make the switch to Signal for over two years. I am already the "tech support guy" in all my circles so most didn't really question it. Most of my friends are quite tech-savvy, and some even did use Signal before I talked to them about it.

This also filtered out some "friends" who were never that close to me to begin with. So, that's a bonus, I guess.

Overall, my recommendation to others interested would be to tell people how much you don't like Meta's business model instead of the privacy aspect. I already ditched Facebook and Instagram many years ago, and this helped defend my point a bit better.

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[-] zqps@sh.itjust.works 2 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

At least Europe rarely uses WhatsApp for business purposes. It's worse in Asia and South America where WhatsApp and Facebook literally are the internet, including the enterprise space.

And the reason it's less the default in the US isn't because people are so forward-thinking to use signal, but iOS being so uniquitous that people use iMessage.

People everywhere are just somewhat lazy and just don't know better.

[-] Zak@lemmy.world 1 points 1 day ago

And the reason it’s less the default in the US isn’t because people are so forward-thinking to use signal, but iOS being so uniquitous that people use iMessage.

I don't think that's quite it. iOS wasn't as popular in the USA when WhatsApp use really started to take off elsewhere.

Instead, I think it was a combination of unlimited SMS plans being the norm, and most Americans having few international contacts.

this post was submitted on 23 Mar 2026

274 points (100.0% liked)

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