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

Over the past month, a signal focused on confidentiality, a messaging signal, I fly high in Dutch app stores, often sitting on top as the most worshiped free application of iOS and Android in all categories, data from multiple platforms for tracking applications such as a touch tower.

The app has undergone an increase in popularity over the years, often in response to changes in rivals policy such as WhatsApp or geopolitical events. This is because the signal has made its name as more appropriate for the confidentiality option-it is managed by a non-profit foundation (although based in the US) and not by a private business focused on data revenue. In addition, the signaling monitors minimal metadata.

In 2025, with a new US president, empowered by the warm embrace of Big Tech, it is not surprising that digital privacy instruments have a moment – especially in Europe, which attracted President Trump’s fury.

But what is especially attractive this time is the signal prominence in a very specific location.

In an interview with Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf last week, signal president Meredith Whitaker noted that the number of « new registrations » in the Netherlands is higher this year with factor 25, although it is not clear what the exact time of this data is.

Asked why the Netherlands observed such growth, Whitaker pointed out a combination of factors: « increasing awareness of privacy, distrust of great technologies and political reality, in which people are aware of how vulnerable digital communication can be, » Whitaker said.

Data provided to TechCrunch by App Intelligence FIRC Appfigures Charts Signal Rise in the Netherlands. According to its data, Signal is ranked 365th among the iPhone applications that are not a game, in the Netherlands on January 1, and did not appear in the best list of common applications. Then, starting around January 5, she began to climb the ranking, reaching the top position by February 2.

The signal has declined and came out of the leading weeks, spending about half of February at the summit – including daily on February 22. Digging deeper into the data, Appfigures estimates that it combines Apple and Google store downloads for Apple and Google Applications amounted to about 22,000 in December 2024. This jumped to 99,000 in January and soward to February – 958% increased from December to 233. In February.

Although part of this growth may be due to the lower saturation signal than in other markets, the sustainable position of the application at the top compared to the neighboring markets of a similar size is noticeable.

« No other market is approaching the Netherlands in terms of growth between December and February, » Appfigures told TechCrunch.

For comparison, from December, Belgium has observed withdrawal by over 250%, Sweden with 153%and Denmark by 95%.

So why can the signal experience what a redditor called « a moment to adopt a massive » in the Netherlands?

Alert

Rejo Zenger, a senior policy adviser at the Dutch Foundation Foundation Foundation for Freedom, said that although it is difficult to determine a specific reason, he is not surprised.

Recent developments in the United States have seen that large platform providers are aligned with the new Trump administration and this has caused a significant public and media debate. Reading Europe on technology from huge private US companies has become a focal point in this debate.

« The Dutch are, like many other infrastructure -dependent, provided by extremely dominant technology companies, most of all from the United States, » Zenger told TechCrunch. « What does this mean and the risks that come from this have been well demonstrated in the last few weeks. As a result, the public debate in the Netherlands was relatively sharp. Where in the past this problem was discussed only at the level of ‘Which instant messenger should I use« I feel now that we are led to a higher levels too: »We need to get rid of this addictionS « 

In this context, the public may associate dominance with data protection abuse. Since companies like META are regularly investigated and fined for data confidentiality practices, Signal may seem less evil: it is based in the US but is managed by a non-profit purpose that guarantees encryption both the content of the messages and the metadata around it.

Vincent Boyer, Director of the Dutch Privacy Organization first of Privacy, also pointed out an increased media coverage and a broader change in public opinion.

« Ever since Trump was re-elected in the United States a few months ago, there were many » beating « Trump and (Elon) Musk of Dutch-European-based media, including the stabbing of US major technology companies that now seem to support Trump, » Bjre told TechCrunch. « Articles criticizing X (before Twitter) and Meta are appearing in the Dutch media everywhere, which leads to a change in Dutch public opinion: even people who have never known or care about confidentiality and security in social media are now suddenly interested in alternatives favorable to personal life. »

Alert

While the Netherlands is just one market of 18 million people in a European population over 700 million, its adoption jump can signal a broader trend on the whole continent, especially when governments seek to reduce confidential barriers.

Apple, for example, recently downloaded an end -to -end encryption in the UK to oppose the government’s efforts to install a rear.

Speaking at Rightscon 25 in Taiwan this week, Whittaker confirmed the unwavering position of the privacy signal.

« The signal position is very clear- we will not go back, adultery, or otherwise disturb the healthy confidentiality and security guarantees that people depend on, » Whitaker said. « Whether this disturbance or rear profit is called client scanning, or undressing encryption protection from one or another characteristic similar to what Apple was pressed in the UK »

In an interview with the Swedish public operator SVT, Whittaker said the signal would not comply with a proposed Swedish law, which requires the creators of communications applications to store messages.

« In practice, this means asking us to break the encryption, which is the basis of our whole business, » Whitaker said. « To ask us to store data, will undermine all our architecture and we will never do it. We prefer to leave the Swedish market completely. « 

TechCrunch addressed the comment, but was not heard during the publication.