this post was submitted on 15 Jul 2026
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Unfortunately WhatsApp managed to take hold of the Zeitgeist during the early 2010s when some European carriers were still charging for texts or charging lots for data.
The fact Meta was allowed to buy WhatsApp is a travesty. We're supposed to just trust that Meta isn't lying when it says it isn't looking at the E2EE keys? Come on. We have literal governments using it as a communication tool.
They don't even have to look at the keys, they have the app, can encrypt your messages with their key, or send the plain text contents separately, or who knows what else. Plus your recipients are not encrypted like in signal for instance where security is a foundational requirement. Anyone done any sort of audit?
Not Europe, but the non-western world. Ask anyone from Brazil or the Philippines.
But also Europe. In the Netherlands the amount of sms is still limited
Fair enough.
European carriers are still charging for sms messages. Luckily RCS now kind of exists.
Yes and no. All plans still include SMS but they're very cheap, sadly they're not much used anymore cause everyone uses WA or other apps. Some don't even read or respond to SMS, which is maddening to me because what's the fucking difference?
SMS is pretty antiquated tech in a way and just made basically obsolete with internet-based messengers.
That's true, but the difference is that internet is not required to use them, you just need a phone plan. What I don't get is why some people use Whatsapp, Telegram, Messenger etc. which have basically the same interface and functionality, but not SMS.
Because they already have an internet plan, and internet coverage is ubiquitous around them. So SMS is just a slower, more expensive option with fewer features.
I don't think I've sent an SMS to someone in 10 years now, that's how "ancient" it is to most people around here. It's like sending a fax, reputation wise.