Signal is currently having its moment in the sun, thanks to WhatsApp’s update to its privacy policy. While WhatsApp has decided to postpone implementing the policy — which would have furthered data-sharing with its parent company Facebook — there has been a steady stream of users migrating to Signal (which has even led to outages).

The Signal Foundation, co-founded by WhatsApp co-founder Brian Acton and Moxie Marlinspike, was started in 2018. However, the app itself, Signal Messenger, was launched in 2013, and was founded by Moxie. The app’s primary selling point is privacy — and is open source.

In an interview to TNM, Signal Messenger Chief Operating Officer Aruna Harder talks about the surge in users, Signal’s long term plans and more.

Signal now has over 5 million downloads. Did you anticipate such massive adoption? Is Signal equipped for such a sudden surge in users?

We don’t share numbers publicly but I can say it’s much much higher than that. The third party app-data companies understate our download numbers because we have no trackers or analytics.

No one could have anticipated such massive adoption. We expected growth, but nobody could have predicted this kind of a surge. Undoubtedly, India is currently leading our growth, with people switching to Signal in record numbers. We are thrilled at the outpouring of support from all corners of the country.

The numbers have crossed even our most optimistic projections! We are now continuing to scale infrastructure and are all hands on deck, so as to handle this incredible growth. It has been a crazy few days but we're committed to living up to the high standards that people in India have come to expect.

WhatsApp has been reiterating that user data will be safe and that messages are end-to-end encrypted. What is your view of the new privacy policy and how does it impact user privacy?

The outcry around WhatsApp’s policy is making it clear that privacy matters to people. We all know Facebook’s revenue model is powered by mining its users’ data, so this update to WhatsApp terms of service was only a matter of time.

I find it to be a very complex policy and quite difficult to understand. When it comes to conversations with friends, family, and colleagues, people want simplicity. Which is why millions have switched to Signal, supportive of what we stand for. We have a clear value proposition — to provide the best messaging app and to earn direct contributions from our user base. Simple values, clear policies, complete data privacy.

How do you see Facebook now being dangerous in terms of privacy?

Privacy is our foremost right. Most people who use social networks and chat services assume that their digital communications are private; that they are sharing their thoughts and photographs with their friends only — not with Facebook and Google, not with advertisers, and/or potential identity thieves, who can influence you as they please.

People are starting to realise the importance of keeping their private conversations private. As more and more of our lives happen online, data protection and privacy have become more critical than ever. This isn’t just important for select people of certain ages and in select countries. It’s important for people from all walks of life and in every part of the world. Everyone deserves to be protected.

Which is why we created Signal. We give what you see: a messaging app that puts privacy first.

In terms of backing up chats and working with third-party services, how is Signal safer?

So, Signal does not collect user data or metadata, it cannot read the messages that its users send or anything else about who you’re talking to. We don't want to know anything, not who you talk to, or how many messages you send, not even what your profile picture looks like. Your data is for you alone.

This means that we have no data with us to sell to anyone. As a result, there is no third party interested in buying what we have, because we have nothing. Your conversations are only between you and whoever you are talking to.

Do you see Telegram as competition? How are you different?

Telegram is very different from Signal. For starters, we both have different ideas for the level of privacy and security we offer in the app. Signal encrypts everything, by default. You can’t turn it off or on, we take great care to make sure no one has to think about which chats are secure and which are insecure. No one questions what data of theirs is available to the app. With Signal, the answer is none.

Because we are not-for-profit, our motives are quite clear, when compared to others. We take immense pride in the team and the product that we’ve built and continue to build, putting privacy at the fore, which remains unduplicated by anyone else.

If you look at Telegram, it has not been extremely clear in terms of what the monetisation strategies are going to be. Because at the end of it, it all boils down to the difference between for profit and not-for-profit business models. When a company is for profit, their motivations strive towards gaining more profit. Like I mentioned earlier, Signal is an independent nonprofit, and our motivation is to protect people and help maintain their privacy. So we have no ads, no trackers and will never have it.

Brian Acton walked away from Facebook because of its monetisation plans. Signal, on the other hand, is not for profit and wants to focus on donations. Do you see this sustaining in the long term?

Our not-for-profit business model has worked best for us and we believe it will continue to do so. The team at Signal is committed to the mission of developing open source privacy technology that protects free expression and enables secure global communication.

We’re grateful for all the donations and support that we’ve received over the years and that are pouring in now. From what we’ve seen so far, we’re confident that millions of people value privacy enough to sustain it. Signal doesn’t have to answer to investors, because we are a nonprofit organisation and we only need to break even. Our only investment is in the privacy of our users and creating the best possible experience.

We’re here to demonstrate that there is an alternative to the ad-based business models that exploit user privacy.

Brian co-founded WhatsApp and has co-founded the Signal Foundation as well. There are concerns that Signal could also go the WhatsApp way, and be sold to a corporation. What do you have to say about that?

The Signal Foundation is an independent nonprofit. It's not tied to any major tech companies, and it can never be acquired by one either. Development is supported by grants and donations (much like the way Wikipedia is run). We believe that the best way to continue to ensure the universal availability of high-security and free communication service – like Signal – is to do so through a foundation structure that is free of the inherent limitations of a for-profit company. We are built to act in the public’s interest and make a meaningful contribution to society by building sustainable technology that respects users and does not rely on the commoditisation of personal data.

This is what we are and this is what we will be.