Revelations about a group chat between top Trump officials inadvertently leaked details of Yemen’s sensitive attacks to Yemen, and their attitude towards journalists was more than just revealing security mistakes. They also introduced Signal, an encrypted messaging application from Leak Center to a wider audience in the United States and around the world.
Interest in signals soared on platforms like Apple’s App Store and Google Play. Global downloads in the past three months have increased by 299% to 8.8 million in the past three months compared to the same period last year, according to app analytics company AppFigures. The signal downloaded 1.48 million in the first quarter of 2023 and 2.21 million in the first quarter of 2024.
On March 24, Atlantic editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg revealed that he was accidentally joined a signaling group chat where government officials such as Vice President JD Vance, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and National Security Adviser Mike Waltz discussed strike plans against Yemini Houthis.
The days that followed were the most successful days in Signal History. “This is the largest growth movement in the United States,” Jun Harada, head of growth and partnerships for the app, told Wired in an interview.
Signal adoption began to rise immediately after the Atlantic report was published. On March 24, the app’s global downloads increased to 119,000, an increase of more than 33% from the previous day. This number climbed to 193,000 on March 25 and 195,000 on March 26.
An unprecedented event quickly became the right time for signal executives, including its founder Moxie Marlinspike (whose real name is Matthew Rosenfeld) to promote the app. In X’s post, he joked that “the opportunity for the Vice President of the United States of America to randomly add you to a group chat to coordinate sensitive military operations” is “many important reasons to signal”.
What does this mean for the future of the signal?
Founded by Marlinspike in 2014, Signal is available for free and relies on donations to its nonprofit owners. Signal Foundation, which has overseen the app since 2018, initially provided $50 million in funding from WhatsApp co-founder Brian Acton.
Signal’s popularity may also lead to a desperate need for donations from nonprofit owners of the app. Two years ago, the Chairman of the Signal FoundationMeredith Whittaker predicts in a blog post that the app will require about $50 million a year to operate based on high infrastructure and employee costs. Total annual expenses for nonprofit organizations in 2023 According to the latest public tax application from Signal Foundation, $35.8 million.
