WhatsApp vs Signal

For U.S. and Canada users, most disputes must be resolved through individual arbitration unless you mail an opt-out within 30 days. This sharply limits going to court or joining class actions.

Even if message content is not ordinarily stored, WhatsApp collects broad activity, device, connection, IP, cookies, and estimated location data. This can reveal patterns about who you interact with, when, and how often.

WhatsApp shares data with Meta companies not just for security and infrastructure, but also to improve products and ad experiences across Meta services. That expands use of your data beyond core messaging.

Messages sent to businesses may be accessible to the business and its service providers, which can include Meta. Those conversations may be stored, read, or otherwise processed under the business's own privacy practices.

WhatsApp says it does not normally keep your messages once delivered. Undelivered messages are kept encrypted for up to 30 days, which is comparatively privacy-protective for message content.

If WhatsApp harms you, its total liability is generally capped at $100 or what you paid in the last 12 months. For a free service, that usually means very little practical compensation.

WhatsApp says it may modify, suspend, or terminate access at any time, including for risk, harm, or long inactivity. That gives the company broad discretion to remove features or disable accounts.

You can request account information and port your data through an in-app feature. This gives users a practical way to inspect and move some of their information.

WhatsApp provides an in-app account deletion tool and explains that deletion removes account info, profile photo, group memberships, and message history from WhatsApp. It also warns that others may still keep copies.

WhatsApp can update its terms and treats continued use as acceptance after notice of material changes. If you disagree, your main remedy is to stop using the service and delete your account.

Outside specific limits for undelivered messages, WhatsApp keeps information as long as needed for service, legal, security, or enforcement reasons on a case-by-case basis. That leaves retention periods open-ended for many data types.

WhatsApp is not a substitute for phone emergency services and will not connect you to police, fire, or hospitals. Users should not rely on the app in emergencies.

Signal explicitly says it does not sell, rent, or monetize your personal data or content. That is a strong privacy commitment compared with many ad-supported services.

Signal says it cannot access the contents of your messages or calls because they are end-to-end encrypted. In practice, this sharply limits what the company can read or disclose about your communications.

If Signal harms you, its total contractual liability is capped at $100 to the extent allowed by law, and many categories of damages are excluded. This significantly limits practical remedies.

The policy says message history stays on your devices and that server-side technical data is limited to what is necessary to operate the service. This reduces the amount of personal information retained centrally.

You must sign up with a phone number and accept verification texts or calls. That creates an identity link many privacy-conscious users may prefer to avoid.

Disputes must be brought in specified California courts under California law. This can make it harder or costlier for non-California or international users to pursue claims.

Signal can update its terms and privacy policy, with continued use treated as acceptance, and it may suspend or terminate access at any time for any reason. Users have limited leverage if terms worsen or access is cut off.

Signal states that you own the information you submit through the service. Notably, the terms do not describe a broad content license letting Signal exploit user content.

If you use contact discovery, Signal may hash address-book data and send it to its servers to find other users. This is optional and privacy-protective by design, but still involves sharing derived contact data.

Signal says encrypted information and metadata may be transferred to the United States and other countries where it or its providers operate. Users outside those countries may face different legal protections.

Signal is not a substitute for emergency services. Relying on it in a crisis could be dangerous because it does not connect to police, fire, hospitals, or similar services.

Users can manage personal information and enable extra protections like a Registration Lock PIN in the app settings. This is a useful transparency and account-security feature.