Privacy is not a fad and, for people who value it, Signal represents a viable alternative: Brian Acton People want to choose who owns their data instead of being told their only option is to comply, says Brian Acton, co-founder of the Signal Foundation, which runs the messaging platform. Signal, he said, has no ads, no trackers, no data. It is a non-profit whose motivation is to protect people and help maintain their privacy. And, he emphasises, it will never be acquired by a major tech company January 19, 2021 / 12:19 PM IST When Facebook-owned messaging platform WhatsApp announced changes in its privacy policy on January 6, 2021, another messaging app, Signal, was the biggest gainer. Downloads of the app surged as people around the world, including India, looked for alternatives.