Signal

Signal is a cross-platform encrypted messaging service developed by the Signal Foundation and Signal Messenger LLC. It uses the Internet to send one-to-one and group messages, which can include files, voice notes, images and videos. Its mobile apps can also make one-to-one voice and video calls, and the Android version can optionally function as an SMS app.

Signal uses standard cellular telephone numbers as identifiers and uses end-to-end encryption to secure all communications to other Signal users. The apps include mechanisms by which users can independently verify the identity of their contacts and the integrity of the data channel.

All Signal software is free and open-source. The clients are published under the GPLv3 license, while the server code is published under the AGPLv3 license. The non-profit Signal Foundation was launched in February 2018 with an initial funding of $50 million.

Avalibility

Signal mantains its own PPA for Ubuntu/Debian based systems. The only Arm version of Signal as of 2022 is the APK version for Android devices. You can not run Signal on a Debian-Arm system unless you have a compatability layer for Android APK.

Controversy

Signal has had a large amount of controversy in its day. Mobilecoin has failed, they are not fully source-published, and they have discouraged forks. Signal, while once promoted by Snowden and others, is now questionable as a mission-critical form of encryption.

External links

• Official website
• How to: Use Signal for Android by the Electronic Frontier Foundation
• How to: Use Signal on iOS by the Electronic Frontier Foundation
• Signal's Terrible Mobilecoin Betrayal by The Hated 0ne