Bad actors could flourish on Signal if it does not take precautions

(AFP via Getty Images)
SIGNAL: BAD ACTORS COULD FLOURISH IF WHATSAPP COMPETITOR DOES NOT TAKE PRECAUTIONS, EMPLOYEES WARN
Processes that could stop far-right organisations joining the app

Adam Smith
@adamndsmith
13 hours ago


Messaging app Signal, which saw a rise in users following the recent controversy about WhatsApp’s privacy policy, is reportedly unprepared for the ways in which it could be abused.

In the run-up to the 2020 presidential election, Signal employees are said to have raised concerns that the company is not building enforcement mechanisms to identify and remove malicious individuals, but those concerns have gone unheeded, according to The Verge.

“The world needs products like Signal — but they also need Signal to be thoughtful,” Gregg Bernstein, a former user researcher who left the non-profit this month, told The Verge.

“It’s not only that Signal doesn’t have these policies in place. But they’ve been resistant to even considering what a policy might look like.”