Privacy-focused messaging app Signal has been flying excessive within the Dutch app shops this previous month, sitting many days as essentially the most downloaded free app on iOS and Android for all classes, per knowledge from a number of app-tracking platforms similar to Sensor Tower.
The app has skilled surges in recognition by the years, typically in response to coverage adjustments at rivals like WhatsApp or geopolitical occasions. That’s as a result of Signal has made a reputation for itself as a extra privacy-friendly possibility — it’s operated by a not-for-profit basis (albeit one primarily based within the U.S.) moderately than a personal enterprise recognized for monetizing knowledge. Moreover, Signal tracks minimal metadata.
In 2025, with a brand new U.S. president empowered by Big Tech’s heat embrace, it’s common that digital privateness instruments are having a second — significantly in Europe, which has attracted President Trump’s ire.
But what’s eye-catching this time round is Signal’s prominence in a single very particular locale — the Netherlands.
In an interview with Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf final week, Signal president Meredith Whittaker famous that the variety of “new registrations” within the Netherlands had been increased this 12 months by an element of 25, although it’s not clear what the precise comparative time period is for this knowledge.
When requested why the Netherlands has seen such development, Whittaker pointed to a mix of things: “Growing consciousness of privateness, mistrust of massive tech, and the political actuality during which individuals notice how weak digital communication might be,” Whittaker stated.
Data offered to TechCrunch from app intelligence agency AppFigures charts Signal’s rise within the Netherlands. Per its knowledge, it stated that Signal was the 365th ranked non-game iPhone app on January 1 within the Netherlands and it wasn’t displaying up in any respect within the high general apps record. Then, beginning round January 5, it started to climb the charts within the Netherlands, and by February 2 it hit high spot general.
Signal has dipped out and in of the lead within the intervening weeks, spending round half of February on the summit — together with every day since February 22. Digging down into the info, AppFigures estimates that the full variety of downloads throughout Apple and Google’s app shops amounted to round 22,000 in December (2024). This elevated to 99,000 in January, after which 233,000 by February — a 958% rise since December.
While it’s attainable that a few of this development may very well be attributed to Signal having a decrease saturation of downloads in comparison with different markets, the app’s sustained place on the high of the charts relative to similar-sized neighboring markets is notable.
“No different markets come near the Netherlands by way of development between December and February,” AppFigures advised TechCrunch.
For comparability, the closest are Belgium, which has seen downloads develop by greater than 250% since December; Sweden rising by 153%; and Denmark rising by 95%.
So why may Signal be experiencing what one Redditor known as a “mass adoption second” within the Netherlands, particularly?
Clear sign
Rejo Zenger, senior coverage advisor at Dutch digital rights basis Bits of Freedom, stated that whereas it’s tough to pinpoint one particular cause, he stated he’s not stunned.
Recent developments within the U.S. have seen the massive platform suppliers fall in line behind the brand new Trump regime, and this has stoked important public and media debate. Europe’s reliance on expertise belonging to large personal U.S. corporations has been highlighted in that debate.
“The Dutch are, identical to many others, extremely depending on the infrastructure offered by extraordinarily dominant tech corporations, largely from the U.S.,” Zenger advised TechCrunch. “What this implies, and the dangers that come from this, have been properly demonstrated previously few weeks. As a outcome, the general public debate within the Netherlands has been comparatively sharp. Where previously this downside was solely mentioned on the extent of ‘which immediate messenger ought to I exploit,’ I really feel now we’re having the controversy on increased ranges as effectively: ‘we must always eliminate this dependency.’”
In that context, the general public may very well be conflating dominance with knowledge safety abuse. With corporations like Meta repeatedly being investigated and fined over knowledge privateness practices, Signal may seem the lesser evil: it’s primarily based within the U.S., however operated by a non-profit that guarantees to encrypt not solely message content material, however the metadata round it.
Vincent Böhre, director at Dutch privateness group Privacy First, additionally pointed to a media-driven enhance in consciousness and a broader shift in public opinion.
“Ever since Trump was re-elected within the U.S. a couple of months in the past, there was plenty of ‘bashing’ of Trump and [Elon] Musk in Dutch — and European — mainstream media, together with bashing of American Big Tech corporations, which now appear to be supportive of Trump,” Böhre advised TechCrunch. “Articles criticizing X [formerly Twitter] and Meta have been popping up in Dutch media all over the place, resulting in a shift in Dutch public opinion: even individuals who by no means actually knew or cared about privateness and safety in social media, have now all of a sudden change into considering ‘privacy-friendly’ options, Signal particularly.”
Signal of intent
While the Netherlands is only one market of 18 million individuals in a European inhabitants of greater than 700 million, a surge in that market alone may very well be seen as a bellwether for sentiment throughout the continent, at a time when governments are searching for to carry down privateness boundaries.
Apple, for instance, lately pulled end-to-end encryption from iCloud within the U.Okay. to counter authorities efforts to put in a backdoor.
Speaking at RightsCon 25 in Taiwan this week, Whittaker reaffirmed a place she has said many instances previously: Signal received’t compromise on privateness.
“Signal’s place on that is very clear –- we is not going to walk-back, adulterate, or in any other case perturb the strong privateness and safety ensures that individuals rely upon,” Whittaker stated. “Whether that perturbation or backdoor known as client-side scanning, or the stripping of the encryption protections from one or one other options much like what Apple was pushed into doing within the U.Okay.”
Separately, in an interview with Swedish public broadcaster SVT, Whittaker stated that it wouldn’t acquiesce to a proposed new Swedish regulation requiring messaging app-makers to retailer messages.
“In follow, this implies asking us to interrupt the encryption that’s the basis of our whole enterprise,” Whittaker stated. “Asking us to retailer knowledge would undermine our whole structure and we’d by no means try this. We would moderately depart the Swedish market utterly.”
TechCrunch reached out to Signal for remark, however hadn’t heard again on the time of publishing.
