Signal on alert: this is the problem with the secure messages app
Table of contents:
- Total privacy and anonymity
- Anonymity, a double-edged sword
- Group chats, the greatest danger
- Victim of her own success
Signal has undoubtedly become the fashionable application. Given the changes made by WhatsApp in its privacy policy, there are many who have decided to escape this messaging tool, making Signal the ideal alternative. Its growth has been such in recent weeks that it has become the most downloaded application in more than 70 countries Many of these users come looking for greater privacy. But behind this security there can also be problems.
And yes, if the messages of an application are totally hidden our privacy is safe. But the possible uses that can be made of them to promote violent or illegal acts. are also protected.
Total privacy and anonymity
The messages we send and receive through Signal are fully encrypted. This means that nobody, not even the creators of the application itself, can access the conversations we have through it. It even has a feature that allows you to automatically pixelate faces in photos, in an attempt to help activists at different demonstrations.
This has been very attractive to a large number of users. The possibility that Facebook may know what we are talking about with our friends or our partner is the reason why many users have decided to run away from WhatsApp.Therefore, Signal is presented to us as the perfect alternative. It is an application that has taken privacy by flag But now that it has begun to spread, many have wondered if this really is so positive.
Anonymity, a double-edged sword
The idea of privacy in Signal seems perfect when the use we give to the app is simply to communicate with our friends and family. But since the months before the last US elections, a concern has arisen in this regard. And it is that a totally anonymous platform is ideal for promoting violent acts
The attack on the Capitol on January 6 has raised the alarm bell. Having a tool to communicate without interference can make it easier for violent groups to organize.
Group chats, the greatest danger
Since October 28, Signal allows users to use group chats. A function that almost all messaging tools already have, and it seemed logical that it would arrive. The problem? That groups can hold up to 1000 people, and joining them through a link is quite simple. What may seem like an advantage is complicated when the intentions are not good.
A massive group, totally anonymous and out of reach of security forces can be the perfect breeding ground for those who want to disrupt public order. And this is something that especially worries the employees of the app.
Victim of her own success
When WhatsApp was used by most people and Signal was an unknown tool, the chances of misuse were obviously much lower.But the fact that it has become a success worldwide worries even its own creators. And the employees of the company assure that there is no strategy to combat this type of possible problems.
Signal's plan seems to be just hoping no one misuses it and everything goes well But it certainly is a strategy it has some gaps. In the not too distant future we will know if total privacy is really something positive or a problem that can reach stratospheric dimensions.
