A popular messaging app called Signal was recently the preferred communications platform for top officials in the Trump administration to discuss secret war plans.
But the use of the app, widely available on smartphone app stores, to plan an attack on Iranian-backed militants in Yemen likely wouldn’t have been made public if a journalist wasn’t inadvertently added to the group chat. Ever since the revelation came to light, outcry has been growing among Democrats and intelligence experts, who worry that the case represents a serious mishandling of classified administration and could even violate the law.
Signal, an encrypted messaging app, has become widely used in the last decade since its 2014 founding for the privacy it provides its customers. That doesn’t automatically make it a lawful method for elected and appointed public officials to communicate, experts warn.
Here’s what to know about Signal, and why it’s use for planning military operations has sparked such a fervent opposition.
Since launching in 2014, the app has garnered a reputation as one of the most secure messaging platforms in the world. That’s because it has no ads, does not track users’ data and does not store any metadata such as timestamps, internet addresses or group names.
Rather than being stored on a server, all the data shared through Signal is saved only on the users’ devices. Signal also gives users the possibility to hide their phone number from others.
The app also includes a cryptocurrency wallet for sending and receiving in-app payments.
Other than that, Signal – which does require a telephone number to create an account – is similar in concept to any other preferred instant messaging service smartphone users may have, including Facebook Messenger or WhatsApp. In addition to sending texts, Signal is capable of making voice and video calls and sending videos, pictures, stickers and even GIFs.
