facebook: Ex-WhatsApp employees build a Facebook-rival called HalloApp – Times of India

Former WhatsApp employees Neeraj Arora and Michael Donohue have built a new social media network called HalloApp, who they claim to be “the first real-relationship network”. As per the developers, HalloApp is everything Facebook is not. They claim they won’t mine your data or snoop on your activities on the platform.
The app will be devoid of some of the common features that people have gotten used to on Facebook and Instagram. It will have “No ads. No bots. No likes. No trolls. No followers. No algorithms. No influencers. No photo filters. No “feed fatigue.” No misinformation spreading like wildfire”, as per the official blog post, which likens social media as the 21st century cigarette. The more they inhale, the ‘sicker’ they get, says the blog post.

The app offers end-to-end encryption and needs your phone number to register. After registration, you can contact other people on the app through the phone’s contact list. The makers of the app claim that HalloApp will not collect, store, or use your personal information. They add in the blog post that they have no idea where you live, what you do for work, or how likely you are to consume a certain type of content.
HalloApp may charge you in the future for some additional features. The app is now available on both Google Play Store and Apple App Store.