Viber, one of the world’s leading apps for free, easy, and secure communication, reveals that 89% of Filipinos who responded to a global voluntary in-app poll says that they will switch to another messaging app if the one they are using has privacy issues, emphasizing most of the people’s desire to keep their chats away from prying eyes.
There were 340,000 people who took part of the global Viber survey, where it was revealed that 77% of Viber users across the globe say digital privacy is very important for them. In the Philippines, the number is even higher than the global average at 95%.
Not only that, 83% of Filipinos also said that they prefer a messaging app that won’t be able to see their messages and listen in on their calls and has end-to-end encryption by default. They’d also want their communication platform to refrain from collecting personal data such as gender, age, and exact location that are considered unnecessary for the app’s operations.
As the COVID-19 crisis continues to accelerate the digitization of many aspects of life, from education to work to healthcare, people are turning to apps and digital formats to stay connected to family members, friends, and colleagues. Rakuten Viber’s recent poll underscores that despite the increased need for online communication platforms, data privacy is still top of mind for its users.
The poll results also proves that people have become more cognizant on the importance of keeping their online data private, following a slew of controversies concerning some messaging apps. Some concerns include data surveillance and sharing for profit and weak encryption.
Viber’s private calls and chats are end-to-end encrypted. No one can join or be invited to group chats without permission. In addition, Viber also offers another layer of privacy with its hidden chats feature, which can only be accessed with a PIN.
“This survey shows us and the rest of the world that privacy should never take a back seat to features in times of growing concern for surveillance of private communication for profit,” says Djamel Agaoua, Rakuten Viber CEO. “Because data privacy is top of mind for our users, it is also one of our main concerns, and we will continue to provide people across the globe a safe communication platform to host their conversations.”
