With ICE and CBP roaming the streets, united community action is more important than ever right now — from local mutual aid groups to school safety patrols. Known for its privacy features and end-to-end encryption, the Signal messaging app has become a popular platform for organizing these community groups.
Signal can be a great tool for private messaging, but it’s at its best if you know how to use all the privacy options. Not all of these options are automatic or even immediately obvious; there are also some best practices that are helpful for participating in and leading group chats.
Signal and your First Amendment rights
As you’re assembling your mutual aid group chat or creating your neighborhood ICE watch group on Signal, remember your First Amendment rights don’t go away just because you’re using Signal. That should go without saying, but recent comments from FBI director Kash Patel may have some would-be Signal users confused or concerned about their legal rights to use Signal and what they can discuss on it.
“People have a First Amendment right to observe, document, and communicate information about law enforcement activity,” senior staff attorney at the nonprofit Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) F. Mario Trujillo tells The Verge. “There is nothing about using Signal that changes that. There is a gulf between protected First Amendment activity on the one hand and unlawful threats or physical violence on the other. The government has consistently conflated the two.”
As Trujillo points out, Signal is no different than any other communication channel or messaging app as far as your First Amendment rights go. Signal’s security features simply make it a better choice than other messaging apps for anyone who’s (rightfully) concerned about their data privacy, but still wants to organize nonviolent community action with their neighbors.
You have rights, but the administration is regularly violating those rights. There are privacy settings and best practices that can help mitigate existing risks.
Getting set up on Signal
Signal is free to download and use on Android, iOS, Windows, Mac, and Linux. All you need to create an account is your phone number, which you’ll be asked to verify when you’re first setting up the app. After that’s confirmed with a code texted to you, you can set up your profile. Signal asks for a first name, but a last name isn’t required, so you can choose to only add your first name or use a pseudonym. This is your “profile name” and the name other users will see in Signal chats.
You should also create a username when you’re getting set up. If you don’t have one, your phone number will function as your username – adding a username to your account allows you to keep your number hidden (though additional measures need to be taken to keep it private: see below).
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