Signal CEO Says 'Time To Shine' As Elon Musk, WhatsApp Policy Change Drive Download Surge

The co-founder of Signal, Brain Acton, said the pouring of outrage over Facebook Inc’s (NASDAQ: FB) changes to WhatsApp privacy policy is an “opportunity for Signal to shine,” TechCrunch reported Tuesday.

What Happened: Acton told TechCrunch in an interview that the user base of Signal has “exploded” in recent weeks and that people are having conversations centered around online privacy and digital safety.

“It was a slow burn for three years and then a huge explosion. Now the rocket is going,” said Action on the surge in Signal usage.

The executive did not reveal details of the uptick but said Signal now ranks on top of Apple Inc’s (NASDAQ: AAPL) App Store in 40 countries and Alphabet Inc’s (NASDAQ: GOOGL) (NASDAQ: GOOG) Google Play Store in 18 countries. 

Why It Matters: Signal is run by a non-profit and is heavily privacy-centric, the app depends on grants and private investors for operations. 

Acton was one of the co-founders of WhatsApp and left the company after it was taken over by Facebook in 2014.

Tesla Inc (NASDAQ: TSLA) CEO Elon Musk revealed this week that he had made a donation to Signal and would “Donate More.”

Musk’s earlier endorsement of Signal had led to a deluge of users adopting Signal. Another bonus for Signal is the recent updates to WhatsApp’s privacy policy made by parent Facebook.

See Also: Elon Musk Sends Signal Downloads Soaring: What You Should Know About The App

The updated privacy policy removes options related to data sharing with Facebook, which has led to a social media backlash against the Mark Zuckerberg-led company. 

Price Action: Facebook shares closed nearly 2.2% lower at $251.09 on Tuesday.