An open letter to my friends.

Dear Reader,

I'm writing this to inform you that I will delete my WhatsApp account on 15 May 2021.

I know that you are well aware of the reasons why. That's why in this letter I'm not going to tell you about the reasons why our online privacy and security is important and how we can protect it.

You use Facebook and its services, and you know exactly the risks associated with it. I'm not here to tell you that you should stop using services from Facebook and other Big Tech giants to claim your digital rights.

You can keep using WhatsApp after they implement their new terms of service and privacy policy. I will not mind that, that is completely your choice.

All I'm asking is to please start using an alternative messaging app, which is not owned by Facebook or Google and which does not feed its business model by collecting our personal data.

Not because it is good for your privacy, but because it will help me protect myself and allow me to delete WhatsApp.

How? You may ask.

Imagine I have 10 friends, all of them use WhatsApp. But out of those 10, 3 of my friends also use Signal.

I, as a Signal user, will have 3 contacts with whom I can chat. If you also decide to install Signal, even though I will be your only contact on Signal. On my end, because of you, my contact list on Signal will grow by +1.

If all my friends install Signal, it will help me delete WhatsApp permanently.

Please install a non Facebook and non Google messaging app because someone in your contact list wants to get rid of them.

Your small gesture will not only protect your privacy, but will also help your contact to delete WhatsApp.

Thank you, Someone in your contact list who wants to delete WhatsApp.