The Trump Administration Sure Is Having Trouble Keeping Its Comms Private
2 min read
Summary
TeleMessage, a messaging app similar to Signal, has been hacked, with portions of data linked to US government departments and companies like Coinbase.
TeleMessage is a company that provides apps that are mirror images or clones of existing communication apps, with the addition of an archiving feature.
The Trump administration in recent months has been using consumer platforms like Signal to talk to each other.
This raises questions regarding compliance with records requirements and safety requirements when using off-the-shelf tech.
The screen of former National Security Advisor, Mike Waltz’s,
phone was inadvertently captured in a photo of a cabinet meeting, capturing his use of TM Signal.
This app is designed to comply with record retention laws.
However, it was hacked, and fragments of messages were seen in plain text.
NBC News reported that US Customs and Border Patrol agents have been using TM Signal, but it is not clear what this means.
TeleMessage has paused its services while it investigates the potential breach. In other news, US border agents are asking for help taking photos of everyone entering the country by car, and OpenAI has reversed its decision to become a for-profit company.
