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Signal, WhatsApp Co-Founder Launch 'Open Source Privacy Technology' Nonprofit (thenextweb.com)
An anonymous reader quotes The Next Web:One of the first messaging services to offer end-to-end encryption for truly private conversations, Signal has largely been developed by a team that's never grown larger than three full-time developers over the years it's been around. Now, it's getting a shot in the arm from the co-founder of a rival app. Brian Acton, who built WhatsApp with Jan Koum into a $19 billion business and sold it to Facebook, is pouring $50 million into an initiative to support the ongoing development of Signal. Having left WhatsApp last fall, he's now free to explore projects whose ideals he agrees with, and that includes creating truly private online services.
"Starting with an initial $50,000,000 in funding, we can now increase the size of our team, our capacity, and our ambitions," wrote Signal founder Moxie Marlinspike (a former Twitter executive).
Acton will now also serve as the executive chairman of the newly-formed Signal Foundation, which according to its web site will "develop open source privacy technology that protects free expression and enables secure global communication."
"Starting with an initial $50,000,000 in funding, we can now increase the size of our team, our capacity, and our ambitions," wrote Signal founder Moxie Marlinspike (a former Twitter executive).
Acton will now also serve as the executive chairman of the newly-formed Signal Foundation, which according to its web site will "develop open source privacy technology that protects free expression and enables secure global communication."
Since you are requested to confirm an account with an SMS, and the mobile phone number used (which is associated with an actual person) is permanently stored and associated with every Signal account, you only have partial privacy with Signal. What you say cannot be read by anyone, but who you are, when you talk, and who you talk to is divulged. This is highly valuable (and sensitive) meta data, and a serious privacy breach.
There is no valid technical reason for requiring the revelation of a mobile phone number for enabling an account instead of f.e. using e-mail, and since the application is not monetized in any way - no ads, no end-user costs what so ever - people should ask themselves what the true gain is from pouring millions of dollars into SMS costs etc. to keep Signal running without a single end-user dollar going back to the operation.