[Rhapso]

I think you missed the point. WhatsApp and Telegram don't offer the safety or security Signal does.

They removed SMS to preserve that safety and security. It isn't a for profit business. We are the ones motivated to help them get adopted. if donations don't correlate with increased users Signal actually can't tolerate growth.

Do whatsapp or telegram have the same models? Can you tell if you are the customer or the product with them?

[fragmede]

Given that I don't pay to use signal, why should a bunch of words about governence convince me that I'm not the product to signal either?

[Rhapso]

With that level of nihilism/skepticism why would paying for the privilege give confidence you are not a product? Only a similar pile of words keeps them from double-dipping and making you both customer and product.