Privateness-focused messaging app Sign has been flying excessive within the Dutch app shops this previous month, typically sitting on the high as probably the most downloaded free app on iOS and Android throughout all classes, per information from a number of app-tracking platforms reminiscent of Sensor Tower.
The app has skilled surges in recognition through the years, typically in response to coverage adjustments at rivals like WhatsApp or geopolitical occasions. That’s as a result of Sign has made a reputation for itself as a extra privacy-friendly choice — it’s operated by a not-for-profit basis (albeit one primarily based within the U.S.) moderately than a non-public enterprise targeted on monetizing information. Furthermore, Sign tracks minimal metadata.
In 2025, with a brand new U.S. president empowered by Huge Tech’s heat embrace, it’s not shocking that digital privateness instruments are having a second — notably in Europe, which has attracted President Trump’s ire.
However what’s particularly eye-catching this time round is Sign’s prominence in a single very particular locale — the Netherlands.
In an interview with Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf final week, Sign President Meredith Whittaker famous that the variety of “new registrations” within the Netherlands was greater this yr by an element of 25, although it’s not clear what the precise comparative time frame is for this information.
When requested why the Netherlands has seen such progress, Whittaker pointed to a mixture of things: “Rising consciousness of privateness, mistrust of massive tech, and the political actuality wherein folks notice how susceptible digital communication may be,” Whittaker mentioned.
Information offered to TechCrunch from app intelligence agency AppFigures charts Sign’s rise within the Netherlands. Per its information, Sign ranked 365th amongst non-game iPhone apps within the Netherlands on January 1 and didn’t seem within the high total apps record. Then, beginning round January 5, it started to climb the rankings, reaching the highest place by February 2.
Sign 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 deeper into the info, AppFigures estimates that mixed downloads throughout Apple and Google’s app shops totaled round 22,000 in December 2024. This jumped to 99,000 in January and soared to 233,000 via February — a 958% rise since December.
Whereas a few of this progress could also be attributed to Sign having decrease saturation than in different markets, the app’s sustained place on the high in comparison with similar-sized neighboring markets is notable.
“No different markets come near the Netherlands by way of progress between December and February,” AppFigures instructed TechCrunch.
For comparability, since December, Belgium has seen downloads develop by greater than 250%, Sweden by 153%, and Denmark by 95%.
So why would possibly Sign be experiencing what one Redditor referred to as a “mass adoption second” within the Netherlands?
Clear sign
Rejo Zenger, senior coverage advisor at Dutch digital rights basis Bits of Freedom, mentioned that whereas it’s tough to pinpoint one particular motive, he’s not shocked.
Latest developments within the U.S. have seen the large platform suppliers align with the brand new Trump administration, and this has stoked vital public and media debate. Europe’s reliance on expertise from big non-public U.S. corporations has develop into a focus in that debate.
“The Dutch are, similar to many others, extremely depending on the infrastructure offered by extraordinarily dominant tech corporations, principally from the U.S.,” Zenger instructed TechCrunch. “What this implies, and the dangers that come from this, have been properly demonstrated up to now few weeks. In consequence, the general public debate within the Netherlands has been comparatively sharp. The place up to now this downside was solely mentioned on the extent of ‘which on the spot messenger ought to I take advantage of,’ I really feel now we’re having the talk on greater ranges as effectively: ‘we should always do away with this dependency.’”
In that context, the general public may very well be conflating dominance with information safety abuse. With corporations like Meta often being investigated and fined over information privateness practices, Sign would possibly seem the lesser evil: it’s primarily based within the U.S., however operated by a non-profit that ensures encryption of each message content material and the metadata round it.
Vincent Böhre, director at Dutch privateness group Privateness First, additionally pointed to elevated media protection 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 quite a lot of ‘bashing’ of Trump and [Elon] Musk in Dutch — and European — mainstream media, together with bashing of American Huge Tech corporations, which now appear to be supportive of Trump,” Böhre instructed TechCrunch. “Articles criticizing X [formerly Twitter] and Meta have been popping up in Dutch media in every single 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 instantly develop into considering ‘privacy-friendly’ options, Sign particularly.”
Sign of intent
Whereas the Netherlands is only one market of 18 million folks in a European inhabitants of greater than 700 million, its surge in adoption might sign a broader pattern throughout the continent, particularly as governments search to carry down privateness obstacles.
Apple, for instance, not too long ago pulled end-to-end encryption from iCloud within the U.Okay. to counter authorities efforts to put in a backdoor.
Talking at RightsCon 25 in Taiwan this week, Whittaker reaffirmed Sign’s unwavering stance on privateness.
“Sign’s place on that is very clear –- we won’t walk-back, adulterate, or in any other case perturb the sturdy privateness and safety ensures that folks depend upon,” Whittaker mentioned. “Whether or not that perturbation or backdoor known as client-side scanning, or the stripping of the encryption protections from one or one other options just like what Apple was pushed into doing within the U.Okay.”
Individually, in an interview with Swedish public broadcaster SVT, Whittaker mentioned Sign wouldn’t adjust to a proposed Swedish legislation 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 mentioned. “Asking us to retailer information would undermine our whole structure and we might by no means do this. We might moderately go away the Swedish market fully.”
TechCrunch reached out to Sign for remark, however hadn’t heard again on the time of publishing.
