The signal is the number one application in the Netherlands. But why?

Privacy focuses Correspondence application signal He was flying high in Dutch application stores last month, where he was sitting for several days as the most free application downloaded on iOS and Android to everyone Categories, for each of the multiple applications tracking platforms Like the sensor tower.

The application has seen an increase in popularity over the years, and it is often a response to Politics changes when its competitors such as WhatsApp or Geopolitical events. This is because Signal has made a name for itself as a more suitable option-it is run by a non-profit organization (albeit its headquarters in the United States) instead of a private company known for income data. Moreover, the signal follows the minimum descriptive data.

In 2025, with a new American president who was enabled by embracing the warm Big Tech, it is not customary not to enjoy digital privacy tools at a moment – especially in Europe, which has it It attracted the anger of President Trump.

But what is attractive this time is the emergence of the sign in one very specific language-the Netherlands.

in Interview with Dutch newspaper de Telegraph last week, a signal head Merridith Whitker He pointed out that the number of “new recordings” in the Netherlands was above this year with a 25 -year -old, although it is not clear what the accurate comparative period of these data is.

When asked why the Netherlands witnessed such growth, Whitaker pointed to a group of factors: “Awareness of privacy, lack of confidence in great technology, and the political reality in which people realize how weak digital communication can be.”

Data provided to Techcrunch from App Intelligence FIRM Applications The chart rises in the Netherlands. According to her data, he said that Signal was the iPhone 365 application that was classified on January 1 in the Netherlands and never appeared in the list of the higher comprehensive applications. After that, starting from January 5, it began climbing the plans in the Netherlands, and by February 2 it was generally achieved.

The signal fell inside and outside the introduction in the overlapping weeks, as it spent about half of February at the top – including every day since February 22. The drilling for the bottom in the data, the applications estimate that the total number of downloads via Apple and Google Application stores reached about 22,000 in December (2024). This rose to 99,000 in January, then 233,000 to February – an increase of 958 % since December.

Although it is possible that some of this growth can be attributed to the indication of less saturation than the downloads compared to other markets, the ongoing position of the application at the top of the plans for similar neighboring markets.

“There are no other markets approaching the Netherlands in terms of growth between December and February,” Appfigors told Techcrunch.

For comparison, the closest to Belgium, which has seen downloads growing more than 250 % since December; Sweden grows 153 %; Denmark grows 95 %.

So why can you refer to what Reddor called “A”The moment of collective adoption“In the Netherlands, specifically?

A clear signal

Rejo ZengerSenior Policy Adviser to the Dutch Digital Rights Corporation Parts of freedomHe said that although it is difficult to determine a specific reason, he was not surprised.

It has witnessed recent developments in the United States The adult platform is located in the queue Behind the new Trump regime, this has led to the thumb of public and media debate. Europe’s dependence on technology belonging to huge private American companies has been highlighted in this debate.

“The Dutch, just like many others, depends on the infrastructure provided by the very dominant technology companies, most of them from the United States,” Zanger told Techcrunch. “What this means, and the risks that come from this, have been well shown in the past few weeks. As a result, the general debate in the Netherlands has been relatively severe. This problem has been discussed in the past only at the level.”Any immediate messenger I must use“I now feel that we are also discussing the highest levels:”We must get rid of this dependency” ”

In this context, the public can mix dominance with abuse of data protection. With companies like meta regularly Investigation and a fine On data privacy practices, the lesson may appear less evil: it is based in the United States, but it is managed by a non -profit organization that promised to encrypt the content of the messages, But the descriptive data around it.

Vincent BohrDirector of the Dutch Privacy Organization Privacy firstHe also pointed to an increase based on the media in awareness and a broader shift in public opinion.

“Since Trump’s re-election in the United States a few months ago, there has been a lot of” beating “from Trump and (Illon) musk in Dutch-European-major media, including hitting American major technology companies, which seems to support Trump now. “The articles criticizing X (previously Twitter) and Meta appeared in the Dutch media everywhere, which led to a shift in the Dutch public opinion: even people who did not know or care about privacy and security, are now suddenly interested in” suitable “alternatives to” privacy “, in particular.”

Intention

While the Netherlands is just one market of 18 million people among the European population of more than 700 million, it can be considered an increase in this market alone as a bell of feelings throughout the continent, while governments seek to reduce privacy barriers.

Apple, for example, recently The encryption has been withdrawn from end to end From iCloud in the UK to counter government efforts to install the back door.

Talk to Rights 25 In Taiwan this week, Whitaker emphasized a position I mentioned several times in the pastA sign that will not give up privacy.

“The position of the sign in this matter is very clear- we will not go in the appearance or adultery or guarantee the privacy and the strong security that people depend on”, ” He said Whitker. “Whether that turmoil or rear door is called a customer scan on the part of the customer, or to strip the encryption protection of an advantage or another similar to what was paid in Apple in the UK.”

Separately, in Interview with Whittaker, Swedish General broadcaster SVT, said he will not satisfy a new Swedish law proposed that requires messages to store messages.

“In practice, this means that our demand for us to violate the encryption, which is the basis of our entire deeds,” said Whitaker. “Asking us to store data would undermine our entire structure and we will never do so. We prefer to leave the Swedish market completely.”

Techcrunch continues to refer to the comment, but he did not hear again in publication time.