Yeah, you have to wait until other people are ready to switch. I just mention signal each time one of my friends complains about Facebook owning Whatsapp, and eventually some of them switch. I don’t know that about the ads, but I guess I’m not surprised.
Maybe you know, but since 2016 whatsapp uses the same open-source encryption technology developed by the signal foundation. This means, on the one hand, that most user content is protected from facebook by encryption that it does not control, and on the other hand that the signal app (also made by the signal foundation) is a readily-available replacement for whatsapp when people are ready to switch.
Let me introduce you to your personal savior, cast iron.