MeWe, an alternative social media app that claims to be more secure and private compared to Facebook, has reported a spike of subscribers by 2.5 million in the last week alone.
The surge is attributed to Whatsapp’s latest update that alerted users of the intention to share their data with Facebook.The announcement of the update, which was expected to take effect on February 8, 2021 but was pushed to March 15,2021, triggered a mass exodus from Whatsapp.
Signal, an alternative messaging platform, reported a 4,200 percent jump in downloads within the two weeks of the announcement.
Read: Whatsapp Reassures Users of Privacy Despite Policy Update
Now MeWe has also started receiving more users looking for alternative social media apps that keep their data secure. The app was launched in 2016 and says it is focused on privacy and data ownership.
The app assures users through its Frequently Asked Questions: “MeWe does not spy on your private posts, we think the way those other companies do things like that is creepy.” MeWe also says that members own their own data.
The app is available on Google Playstore and on Apple App store. It features a newsfeed, several groups, private messaging and video chats and a close friends setting.
Read: WhatsApp’s Latest Data Sharing Policy Update Prompting Users To Join Competitor, “Signal”
This writer downloaded the app and was pleasantly surprised to find a whole community of users with multiple discussions taking place on the newsfeed. I still haven’t explored the app to exhaustion but I could tell that it is not limited in any way, in comparison with Facebook.
A spokesperson for MeWe, David Westreich, said “our membership spikes frequently – as people worldwide seek a social network that respects them as customers to serve and delight, not data to share, target, or sell.” The app’s recent membership spike placed it at number 2 in the Google Play Store rankings on Friday.
MeWe had reported 14 million users by Wednesday of the same week.
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