SignalGate Is Driving the Most US Downloads of Signal Ever
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Summary
US downloads of the encrypted messaging app Signal have doubled since the news broke that senior Trump administration officials used the platform to plan a bombing in Yemen, and inadvertently included the editor-in-chief of The Atlantic magazine in their group chat.
Non-profit organisation Signal told Wired that this year has already been a “banner year” for the app in terms of growth, making this week the biggest boost to its profile in the US ever.
Head of growth and partnerships at Signal, Jun Harada, said the app had experienced an comparable spike in popularity in 2021 when WhatsApp changed its privacy policy, leading to millions of users signing up to Signal.
However, this week’s increase has predominantly been in the US, with downloads rising 105% compared to the previous week, and 150% compared to an average week in 2024, market intelligence firm Sensor Tower reported.
The scandal has also called into question the security practices of the Trump administration, and whether officials used secure devices intended for classified conversations, or vulnerable, non-approved devices.
