Telegram takes multiple swipes at WhatsApp after recent surge in users

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Following headlines of consumers jumping on alternative messaging apps such as Telegram and Signal after WhatsApp's recent privacy update, Telegram has taken a swipe at its competitor WhatsApp on Twitter. In a Twitter post, Telegram posted a GIF of the popular meme, the Coffin Dance (also known as the dancing pallbearers), with a picture of WhatsApp's privacy update placed on the coffin. It seems to reference the controversial impact of WhatsApp's recent privacy update on the tech company itself.

https://twitter.com/telegram/status/1348266599216795648?s=20

The admin behind Telegram's Twitter account also had some cheeky comebacks for Twitter users who replied to its original post. In response to a user who indirectly said users who agreed to WhatsApp's updated policy must have been shocked, Telegram replied "there's a cure for that" with a screenshot of the option to uninstall WhatsApp. Another user asked if people who have agreed to the WhatsApp's new privacy update should burn their phones, to which Telegram told them to just uninstall the app, adding that just like exes, it wasn't good enough for users.

https://twitter.com/telegram/status/1348281676439449600?s=20

https://twitter.com/telegram/status/1348294667226509313?s=20

Meanwhile, a Twitter user posted an Among Us meme that said "dead body reported", which could probably be inferred as Telegram hitting WhatsApp hard with its original Twitter post. In response, Telegram gently tweaked the "dead body" from blue to green, captioning the picture: "I think you meant to post this one".

https://twitter.com/telegram/status/1348276872459780096?s=20

Telegram also hinted that this is not the end of its jibe in one of its replies. When one user told WhatsApp to look at how Telegram has put the last nail in WhatsApp's coffin, Telegram said: "Well, I'm sure this one isn't going to be the last. But we've got plenty of nails."

https://twitter.com/telegram/status/1348280419221962753?s=20

Besides taking digs at WhatsApp, Telegram also came up with other creative replies to Twitter users. Replying one user who said Telegram is milking the opportunity, the company responded that there weren't any cows around so this seemed like a good alternative for its cereal. Additionally, it took the chance to promote its app as well.

https://twitter.com/telegram/status/1348283665139249155?s=20

https://twitter.com/telegram/status/1348316716246441997?s=20

Earlier this week, following WhatsApp's updated terms of service, Telegram said it saw more than 25 million new users from around the world joining its platform. It currently has more than 500 million active users on its app. The rivalry between Telegram and Facebook also made headlines in 2019 when Telegram saw three million new users coming onboard after Facebook experienced a global outage.

Additionally, according to reports on Reuters, there has been more than 100,000 users installing Signal across app stores such as Apple and Google after WhatsApp's privacy update. The privacy update in question saw WhatsApp asking users to allow its parent Facebook and its subsidiaries to collect user data, phone number and location. While the content of the messages are said to remain encrypted, the data collected would presumably allow for more targeted advertisements on the Facebook owned platforms and allow the network to invest more into areas such as eCommerce.

(Photo courtesy: 123RF)

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