Many Consider Ditching WhatsApp And Using Telegram, Claims Indian Research Study

WhatsApp is facing global flak on the proposed changes to its Privacy Policy as its user base around the world takes part in what is being called the world¡¯s largest digital migration.

A new survey now indicates that the sentiment is strong in India too, with 79 percent of those surveyed reconsidering their WhatsApp use.

Getty Images

The new research comes from CyberMedia Research (CMR) as part of its CMR Social Safe study. The study is based on 1500 respondents from across the top eight cities of India, including Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Bengaluru, Chennai, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad and Pune.

As per the findings, 76 percent of those surveyed are aware of the new WhatsApp Privacy Policy and 79 percent of these are reconsidering their use of WhatsApp with the chat app¡¯s announcement of the privacy policy. The survey mentions that as much as 28 percent of respondents are planning to leave WhatsApp after implementation of its new policy, which has now been scheduled for May 2021.

The study also mapped the emotions of the consumers in response to the WhatsApp ¡®take it or leave it policy¡¯. Around half of those surveyed (49%) said that they are feeling angry about the proposed changes. 45 percent said that they will not trust WhatsApp ever again, while 35 percent alleged a breach of trust from WhatsApp. Only 10 percent of consumers remain indifferent to the new Policy announcement.

Commenting on the study findings, Satya Mohanty, Head- Industry Consulting Group (ICG), CMR, ¡°the current debate goes much beyond privacy oriented consumers, with some even contemplating stopping their WhatsApp usage, and considering alternatives, such as Telegram or Signal. Consumer preference is being driven by word of mouth, as well as by the array of features the platform offers.¡±

Prabhu Ram, Head- Industry Intelligence Group (IIG), CMR, states ¡°As WhatsApp eventually moves into a much closer integration with the Facebook ecosystem from hereon, it risks an erosion in brand trust and brand loyalty ¨C both key determinants for enduring competitive market advantage.¡±

The Key Determinants

The study highlights that the majority of WhatsApp and FB Messenger users do not feel safe while storing their chat backup on third party or non-end-to-end encrypted platforms such as Google Drive or iCloud. Telegram, on the other hand, gains trust in this regard with a dedicated cloud that Telegram offers.

Other than privacy concerns, 55 percent of WhatsApp users also pointed out the challenge of media files (photos, videos, documents, PPT) eating up their phone¡¯s memory. Another issue is the spread of phishing, malicious links through the platform, wherein the occurrence was reported to be highest amongst WhatsApp users (52%) and lowest amongst Telegram users (28%).

Reuters

Citing these reasons and more, 41 percent of those surveyed indicated a desire to shift to Telegram, whereas 35% preferred Signal. Telegram scores over Signal in terms of awareness (55%) and actual usage (39%). The survey found that 37 percent of users actually used Telegram over the past one year, while only 10 percent used Signal.

¡°Our research points out that Telegram, in particular, has gained traction amongst users over the past year, much before the recent WhatsApp PR fiasco.¡± Prabhu noted.