I have been cleaning my phone - removing Google Services, Google Account and replacing it with alternatives. Strangely, I do still have many very different messaging app. If I count correctly, there is Messenger, WhatsApp, Instagram, Telegram, Signal, Viber and also two local apps TakeUp and Mastadon. I am more and more returning back to SMS messages and normal encrypted e-mails.
What do you use most and is it normal, to have so many messaging apps and using them all for different people groups?
I don’t think most citizens of the USA care about surveillance. (Source: I am a citizen who doesn’t care) Targeted ads don’t really bother me. I care more about convenience than privacy and a good portion of people I know feel the same way. I guess it’s a cultural thing.