US Government Scandal Leads to Spike in Signal Downloads

Downloads of the secure messaging app Signal are spiking worldwide – particularly in the US and Yemen – after high-ranking security officials mistakenly added a journalist from The Atlantic to a confidential Signal group.

The group, intended for a discussion of war plans in Yemen, became the center of a nationwide scandal and has driven a spike in interest in encrypted communication.

According to TechCrunch, worldwide Signal downloads increased by 28% from the daily average after the story broke, with a 45% increase in the US and a 42% increase in Yemen. In Yemen, the app propelled its ranking from the 50th most popular social media app across the country to the 9th most popular.

Signal representatives claim that the week after the Atlantic’s piece, the app saw the biggest bump in downloads it has ever had since its founding nearly 11 years ago. “In Signal’s history, this is the largest US-growth moment by a massive margin,” Jun Harada, Signal’s head of growth and partnerships, said to tech news outlet Wired. “It’s mind-blowing, even on our side.”

Signal is known for strong privacy protections like end-to-end encryption, disappearing messages, and limited metadata collection. These features have made it one of the most popular apps for privacy-conscious users – and the recent government scandal has propelled the app’s popularity even further.

But experts warn not to think about it as a magic solution for privacy. Though Signal itself can neither read the encrypted communications nor gather metadata, internet service providers and advanced surveillance networks can still gather information from pattern-tracking.

The app also cannot protect the user’s device if it is compromised by a physical breach or spyware. This is especially worth noting considering the recent high-profile cases of spyware use worldwide. In February, the Italian government confirmed the presence of Paragon spyware on the devices of journalists, activists, and government detractors – the kind of people most likely to depend on Signal.

Despite speculation from high-ranking government officials (including US President Donald Trump) about Signal’s security measures, the features remain among the strongest available to consumers. Still, experts agree that the biggest point of failure is human error – like accidentally adding a journalist to a confidential government chat.