US senators gathered to grill President Donald Trump’s top intelligence officers about their discussion of extremely confidential Houthi war plans on a commercial messaging chat that also featured a journalist. The bombshell disclosure infuriated national security experts and Democrats, raising questions about how classified information is supposed to be handled.
In a shocking revelation, Jeffrey Goldberg, The Atlantic’s editor-in-chief, stated that he was surprisingly invited on March 13 to join the “Houthi PC small group,” an encrypted chat group on the Signal messaging app. The group, according to him, coordinates US military action against the Houthis in Yemen.
Meanwhile, Brian Hughes, a spokesman for the National Security Council, stated the chat group seemed genuine. However, the White House stated that it was investigating how Goldberg’s number was included to the thread.
Here’s what we know about the app in question.
What is Signal?
The app can be used to send videos and make phone calls, as well as for group chats and direct messaging.
Signal’s messaging and telephony services are encrypted from beginning to end, making it impossible for outside parties to view or listen in on conversations.
Calls and messages sent using Signal are jumbled, and the only people who can decode them are the sender and the recipient.
The encryption system used by Signal is open source, which means that anybody can examine, use, and alter it without restriction.
Signal has encryption enabled by default, in contrast to Telegram, another well-known messaging program, which asks users to enable it and excludes group chats.
Other texting apps share some of Signal’s features. Group conversations with up to 1,000 participants can be hosted by users, and messages can be programmed to expire automatically after a predetermined amount of time.
Can Signal be hacked?
Signal boasts about how private its service is, and experts concur that it’s safer than traditional messaging. However, it can be hacked.
Signal has been used by government officials for organisational communication like setting up sensitive meetings.
Ex-national security official who was employed in the Biden administration told Scripps News that individuals, who were granted permission to download Signal on their White House-issued phones, were told to use the app sparingly.
Signal was most frequently used to alert somebody that they should check for a classified communication delivered through other channels, according to the official, who asked to remain anonymous when discussing ways about how sensitive material is shared, reported Scripps News.
Goldberg’s story in the Atlantic claimed that certain messages were scheduled to vanish after a week, while others after four weeks.
How can you add new member to Signal group?
The website for Signal states that group chat administrators have the ability to decide who can be invited to a group chat and which current members can add new members.
The app provides an option to select “add members.” A person can add people via their contact list or phone number.
Is it legal to use Signal within the govt agency?
John Ratcliffe, the director of the Central Intelligence Agency, appeared for a Senate Intelligence Committee hearing on Tuesday. He said the use of Signal within the agency was legal and acceptable even before the Trump administration.
Who founded Signal?
According to the company’s website, Signal was established in 2012 by Whittaker and entrepreneur Moxie Marlinspike.
Marlinspike and Brian Acton, co-founder of WhatsApp, launched the non-profit Signal Foundation in February 2018. It is presently in charge of the app. Acton contributed $50 million in first funding. Acton departed WhatsApp in 2017 due to disagreements on the usage of user data and targeted advertising.
