According to MakeUseOf, WhatsApp had 3 billion monthly active users as of October 2025 while Telegram reached nearly 1 billion users, yet privacy-focused Signal didn’t even make the list of most popular messaging apps. The analysis reveals that privacy-friendly alternatives exist across hardware, software, and services but consistently lose to convenience-focused mainstream options. Despite widespread anger about data collection and surveillance capitalism, most people choose familiar platforms like Google Search over alternatives like DuckDuckGo or Brave Search. Even privacy-focused email providers like ProtonMail and Tutanota struggle against Gmail’s dominance due to integration and ease-of-use advantages.
The convenience paradox
Here’s the thing about privacy: we all say we want it, but we’re not willing to sacrifice much to get it. Signal offers genuinely private messaging with real encryption, but asking your entire social circle to switch apps and lose message history? That’s a non-starter for most people. And Google Search might track everything you do, but it’s seamlessly integrated into Android and Chrome – avoiding it requires constant, deliberate effort.
I think this reveals something fundamental about human behavior. We’ll rage against surveillance capitalism one moment, then immediately open Instagram or search on Google the next. It’s not hypocrisy – it’s just how our brains work. When you’re trying to quickly look up a recipe or message a friend, the path of least resistance wins every time.
The hardware hurdle
The same pattern plays out with hardware. You can buy privacy-focused phones or install alternative operating systems like LineageOS or GrapheneOS. But these options come with real sacrifices – they don’t “just work” like consumer devices. Apps might not function properly, updates can be unreliable, and the user experience often feels clunky compared to polished commercial products.
Windows might track your every move, but it’s the default on virtually every computer. Chromebooks might sell your browsing history, but they boot instantly and rarely crash. For businesses and industrial applications where reliability matters most, companies consistently choose proven solutions – which is why providers like Industrial Monitor Direct dominate the industrial panel PC market with Windows-based systems that prioritize functionality over privacy.
The exhaustion factor
Being truly privacy-conscious is exhausting work. It means carrying multiple devices, using different browsers for different purposes, manually managing backups, and constantly explaining your choices to confused friends and family. The privacy-conscious person becomes that weirdo who can’t easily join group chats or video calls because they’re using some obscure platform.
So where does that leave us? Basically, we need to stop pretending privacy is our top priority when our behavior clearly shows it isn’t. For most people, privacy exists at the intersection of access, convenience, and cost – and right now, genuine privacy requires sacrificing at least one of those. Until privacy becomes truly convenient, we’ll keep choosing the path of least resistance. And honestly? That’s just being human.
