WhatsApp’s latest update to its terms of service has pushed millions of subscribers to flock to competitors, such as Telegram and Signal. Users have been prompted to accept the changes without a chance to refuse, or they will be cut off.
The poorly explained update caused confusion and made users shift to alternative platforms. In the UK, WhatsApp fell from the 8th most downloaded app to the 23rd within two weeks. Meanwhile, Signal and Telegram saw 7.5 million and 5.6 million downloads globally from Jan 6 through Jan 10.
Users are worried that the new terms will allow WhatsApp to share data with its parent company Facebook. The update had been slated for Feb 8. However, the exodus forced WhatsApp to delay the implementation and do damage control by exhaustively clarifying its new policy to the public.
友善讓你懂｜解說：
許多人使用的通訊軟體WhatsApp最新的服務條款更新，意外導致數百萬使用者集體跳槽到Telegram和Signal等競爭平台上。使用者被知會他們別無選擇必須同意條款的更動，否則就無法繼續使用WhatsApp。
這個缺乏詳細說明的更新造成使用者一片疑惑與混亂，也讓他們轉而移動到可代替的平台上。光是在英國，WhatsApp在兩週內，就從下載排名軟體的第八名掉到第23名。與此同時，Signal和Telegram在一月六日到十日短短五天之間，在全球分別有高達七百五十萬及五百六十萬的下載量。
使用者擔心，新條款允許WhatsApp將用戶資料分享給母公司Facebook。這項更新原本預定在二月八日進行。然而，這場「大逃亡」逼得WhatsApp延後更新，並且趕緊進行損害管制，仔細地向大眾澄清說明將會更動的條款內容，期盼能讓使用者安心。
輕鬆帶著走｜學習：
exodus n. （一大批地）離開、退出
這個字來源於舊約聖經典故《出埃及記》，講述摩西帶領以色列人離開埃及的故事，現在可用於描述大批人群離開、甚至逃亡的情況，例如an exodus from A to B，集體從A移動到B。
例句：
The exodus of refugees from Iraq and Syria put great pressure on European countries.
來自伊拉克與敘利亞的難民潮給歐洲國家帶來了巨大壓力。
本篇其他相關單字：
- flock (v.) 蜂湧而至
- shift (v.) 轉移
- alternative (adj.) 可替代的、可選擇的
- be slated for 預定在（某時間）
- exhaustively (adv.) 詳盡地
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