Privateness-focused messaging app Sign has been flying excessive within the Dutch app shops this previous month, usually 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 similar to Sensor Tower.
The app has skilled surges in recognition over time, usually 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 possibility — it’s operated by a not-for-profit basis (albeit one primarily based within the U.S.) quite than a personal enterprise centered 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 increased this yr by an element of 25, although it’s not clear what the precise comparative time period is for this information.
When requested why the Netherlands has seen such development, Whittaker pointed to a mixture of things: “Rising consciousness of privateness, mistrust of massive tech, and the political actuality during which folks notice how weak digital communication will be,” Whittaker mentioned.
Information supplied 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 checklist. 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 information, 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 by way of February — a 958% rise since December.
Whereas a few of this development 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 development between December and February,” AppFigures advised TechCrunch.
For comparability, since December, Belgium has seen downloads develop by greater than 250%, Sweden by 153%, and Denmark by 95%.
So why may 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.
Current developments within the U.S. have seen the massive platform suppliers align with the brand new Trump administration, and this has stoked important public and media debate. Europe’s reliance on know-how from enormous non-public U.S. firms has turn into a focus in that debate.
“The Dutch are, similar to many others, extremely depending on the infrastructure supplied by extraordinarily dominant tech firms, largely from the U.S.,” Zenger advised TechCrunch. “What this implies, and the dangers that come from this, have been properly demonstrated prior to now few weeks. Consequently, the general public debate within the Netherlands has been comparatively sharp. The place prior to now this drawback was solely mentioned on the extent of ‘which prompt messenger ought to I take advantage of,’ I really feel now we’re having the controversy on increased ranges as nicely: ‘we should always do away with this dependency.’”
In that context, the general public could possibly be conflating dominance with information safety abuse. With firms like Meta commonly being investigated and fined over information privateness practices, Sign may 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 number of months in the past, there was a number of ‘bashing’ of Trump and [Elon] Musk in Dutch — and European — mainstream media, together with bashing of American Huge Tech firms, which now appear to be supportive of Trump,” Böhre advised 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 abruptly turn into thinking about ‘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 deliver down privateness limitations.
Apple, for instance, not too long ago pulled end-to-end encryption from iCloud within the U.Ok. 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 is not going to walk-back, adulterate, or in any other case perturb the strong privateness and safety ensures that individuals rely on,” Whittaker mentioned. “Whether or not that perturbation or backdoor is known as client-side scanning, or the stripping of the encryption protections from one or one other options much like what Apple was pushed into doing within the U.Ok.”
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 try this. We might quite go away the Swedish market fully.”
TechCrunch reached out to Sign for remark, however hadn’t heard again on the time of publishing.
