Signal provides a messaging platform that prioritizes user privacy through end-to-end encryption. This means that messages and calls are secured in such a way that only the sender and recipient can access them, ensuring that even Signal cannot read the content. The platform includes features like voice and video calls, group chats, and encrypted stickers, all available without long-distance charges. What sets Signal apart from its competitors is its nonprofit status, which allows it to operate independently without the influence of major tech companies. It does not rely on advertising or user tracking for revenue; instead, it is funded by grants and donations from users and supporters. The goal of Signal is to offer a secure and private communication service for individuals and groups who value their privacy.

Brian Acton

Consumer Software

Cybersecurity

Signal

Decrypt’s Art, Fashion, and Entertainment Hub. Discover SCENEThe ‘Salt Typhoon’ cyberattacks by Chinese hackers on governments and businesses have been described as a “watershed moment” by digital privacy advocates, after U.S. officials recommended the use of end-to-end encryption in their aftermath.After U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) officials urged Americans to use encrypted messaging apps in the wake of the cyberattack, Zooko Wilcox-O'Hearn, creator of privacy coin Zcash, tweeted, "So apparently U.S. national security orgs are advising Americans to use end-to-end-encryption because the Chinese Communist Party is reading your unencrypted messages.” He added that, “Hopefully this is the watershed moment when the U.S. law-enforcement and natsec culture flips to pro-encryption."So apparently U.S

Us ‘Flips’ To Support Encryption Following China’S ‘Salt Typhoon’ Cyberattack

As information has become electronic, the encryption of that information has become imperative. And with the news Tuesday (Aug. 13) that, after an eight-year-long process, the U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has finalized its principal set of encryption algorithms designed to withstand cyberattacks from a quantum computer, businesses dealing with an emergent and sophisticated breed of cybercriminals can breathe a small sigh of relief. While observers may be wondering what the big deal is about post-quantum (PQ) cryptography — particularly when nobody has actually seen or used a real quantum computer, and their commercial viability remains perpetually 10 years away — the big deal, so to speak, is actually a simple one: post-quantum security standards are by definition safer, more resilient, and more flexible than existing classical measures

Nist’S Post-Quantum Cybersecurity Standards Ready For Enterprise Use

Microsoft is requiring staff in China to use iPhones for work starting in September.The measure essentially bans Android-powered devices for these workers and is part of Microsoft’s Secure Future Initiative, designed to make sure all employees use the Microsoft Authenticator password manager and Identity Pass app, Bloomberg reported Monday (July 8).Microsoft will require its hundreds of employees based in China to use only Apple devices to verify their identities when logging in to work computers or phones, the report said, citing an internal memo.The move underscores the increasing differences between mobile ecosystems in China and other countries, per the report. For example, Apple’s iOS store is available in China, but Google’s isn’t, leaving Chinese companies like Huawei to operate their own platforms.Microsoft decided to block access from those devices to its corporate resources as they lack Google’s mobile services in the country, according to the report. Staff members using Android devices will be provided with an iPhone 15.The move could call renewed attention to the iPhone’s standing in China, the report said. Since last year, an increasing number of Chinese government agencies and state-owned companies have required staff to stop using iPhones at work, citing security worries.Those same concerns led the Cyberspace Administration of China in April to order Apple to remove WhatsApp, Threads, Telegram and Signal from its App Store in China.Apple’s place in the Chinese smartphone market has risen and fallen over the past year. The most recent reporting showed that the company ended May with 11% of the Chinese smartphone market, even as iPhone sales rose 0.9% year over year,“While Apple bulls may note the data is backwards looking and is not likely indicative of Apple’s AI smartphone opportunity next year, we note that iPhone share loss to Huawei and other Chinese OEMs acts as a material governor on iPhone unit growth,” UBS analyst David Vogt wrote this month.Meanwhile, last month saw a report that companies such as Google and OpenAI had begun conducting more vetting of staff and prospective hires due to concerns about Chinese espionage

Microsoft Institutes Iphones-Only Rule For Workers In China

The thing about far-away technological innovations is that they get closer to reality each day. And with the news Tuesday (May 21) that Zoom is making post-quantum end-to-end encryption (E2EE) globally available across its Zoom Workplace platform, specifically Zoom Meetings with Zoom Phone and Zoom Rooms coming soon, preparing for the operational and cybersecurity realities of the upcoming quantum internet is top of mind for forward-thinking organizations. That’s because quantum computers, once fully realized, could break widely used encryption algorithms such as RSA and ECC (Elliptic Curve Cryptography), which underpin the security of online transactions and communications. This looming threat necessitates the development and adoption of post-quantum encryption techniques

Making Sense Of Post-Quantum Opportunities For Payments And Commerce

Supposedly secure messaging app Signal launched with gov't funds, headed by propagandist Now running NPR: report.

Supposedly Secure Messaging App Signal Launched With Gov't Funds, Headed By Propagandist Now Running NPR: Report

WhatsApp is reportedly working in China despite a years-long ban on this and other foreign messaging and social media platforms.Users of the Meta-owned messaging platform in the country said they have been able to send and receive messages without using the workarounds they normally have to employ, although it is unclear how many users can do so, Bloomberg reported Thursday (May 9).Signal, Instagram and some other platforms remain blocked in China, according to the report.It is estimated that several million people in China use WhatsApp by employing a virtual private network (VPN) or other measures to get around the country’s blockade of the service, the report said.Industry experts have said in the past that glitches in China’s network restrictions occasionally allow access to blocked services for short periods, per the report.However, this time, some users said they have been able to use WhatsApp over an uninterrupted span of two weeks, according to the report.The report comes about three weeks after Apple said it removed WhatsApp, Threads, Telegram and Signal from its App Store in China after being ordered to do so by the Cyberspace Administration of China, which cited national security concerns.Other Meta apps remained available for download in the App Store in China, including Facebook, Instagram and Messenger. Many popular apps from other companies, including YouTube and X, formerly known as Twitter, were also available.Even before this move, the apps, and many other foreign apps, were blocked on Chinese networks by the country’s “Great Firewall” and could only be used with proxy tools.In September, China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology issued new rules that aimed to close a loophole in the Great Firewall that allows Chinese iPhone users to download popular Western social media apps through VPNs.Under the new rules, Apple can no longer offer these apps unless the app operators are registered with the government — a move analysts believe the operators are unlikely to make due to concerns about data transfer and censorship requirements.The rules don’t specifically target Apple but impact the company due to the number of apps it offers

Chinese Users Report Whatsapp Working Despite Country’S Ban

Threads now has more than 150 million monthly active users.The Meta-owned text-based social media platform is “growing well,” Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg said Wednesday (April 24), during the company’s quarterly earnings call.“There are now more than 150 million monthly actives, and it continues to generally be on the trajectory I hoped to see,” Zuckerberg said.“My daughters would want me to mention that Taylor Swift is now on Threads — that was a big deal in my house,” he added.Meta Chief Financial Officer Susan Li said later in the call that Threads “continues to see good traction as we continue to ship valuable features and scale the community.”Meta launched Threads in more than 100 countries on July 5, 2023, saying it would take what Meta’s Instagram does best and apply that to text.Threads was not initially launched in the European Union (EU) due to uncertainty surrounding the Digital Markets Act (DMA) and data privacy.In the first seven hours after its debut, Threads gained 10 million signups.Zuckerberg said at the time that he was envisioning a much higher number, aiming to surpass Twitter’s 300 million-plus users.“There should be a public conversation app with 1 billion-plus people on it,” he said. “Twitter has had the opportunity to do this but hasn’t nailed it. Hopefully we will.”Two days after the launch of the app, Zuckerberg reported that it had gained 70 million signups, adding that the figure was, “Way beyond our expectations.”Threads then passed the 100-million user mark five days after launching. It was reported at the time that this rate of growth surpassed the record previously held by OpenAI’s ChatGPT as the fast-growing app.However, by the end of its first month, Threads had lost over half its users. It was reported at the time that Zuckerberg said the drop-off was “normal” and that retention rates would grow as the company added more features to the app.In a recent development, Apple said Friday (April 19) that it removed Threads, along with WhatsApp, Telegram and Signal, from its App Store in China. The company said it was ordered to do so by the Cyberspace Administration of China, which cited national security concerns

Mark Zuckerberg Says Threads ‘Growing Well’ With 150 Million Users

Apple has removed Meta’s WhatsApp and Threads, as well as Telegram and Signal, from its App Store in China. The company was ordered to do so by the Cyberspace Administration of China, which cited national security concerns, Apple told Reuters in a report posted Friday (April 19). “We are obligated to follow the laws in the countries where we operate, even when we disagree,” the tech company told the media outlet

Apple Says China Ordered Removal Of Whatsapp, Threads From App Store

WhatsApp is more convenient, more widely used and prettier than competitors such as Signal and Telegram, but the company doesn't share enough of its code widely with the public, CNET reviewers said, allowing experts to audit the company's claims.

WhatsApp Adds Message Filters to Make Itself More Usable

In a dynamic connected economy landscape, where every click, swipe and tap leaves a digital footprint, the notion of privacy has become an elusive concept, sought after yet increasingly challenging to attain. Recent events, such as the settlement between tech behemoth Google and several users over the improper collection of data during “incognito” browsing sessions, serve as stark reminders of the delicate balance between convenience and privacy in a digital age. For many, the appeal of online anonymity, often sought through features like incognito mode, has long served as a shield from the watchful gaze of algorithms and advertisers. But the revelation that even this presumed layer of protection has been compromised ignites a wider conversation about the security of personal information in the digital age

Privacy Dynamics At The Forefront Of Connected Consumer Concerns

Privacy-focused messaging platform with encryption

Signal

Privacy-focused messaging platform with encryption

Signal

Privacy-focused messaging platform with encryption

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