The Revolution Will Not Be Signaled

We are constantly told that the messaging platform Signal is totally secure and benevolent. While Signal may be preferable to the dominant alternatives now, there are serious concerns that organizers should discuss and further study. These include: (1) Signal’s extensive ties to the state and major corporations, (2) Signal’s extractive and anti-democratic corporate model, and (3) Signal’s technical dependence on companies like Google, Microsoft, and Amazon, which could open it up to surveillance or censorship.

Because Signal gets such glowing coverage, these concerns are rarely raised. The common wisdom that Signal is invulnerable gives many people a false sense of security.

Beyond these concerns, we should ask ourselves if the increasing use of tools like Signal harms our abilities to organize and communicate in-person, which can be not only more secure but better for building community and enabling direct action.

#^https://www.counterpunch.org/2025/03/07/the-revolution-will-not-be-signaled/