Signal: Best in Class Secure Messaging
Moxie Marlinspike is laughing his pants off.
Published: 2025-03-25
Updated 2025-03-25:
The greatest IT/Security presentation of all time, by Moxie Marlinspike, has been added to sources. I implore readers to watch the first 26 minutes of it.
A collection of 2nd hand reports and reactions to the news were added to sources.
Signal
The Trump administration used Signal to establish a team of points of contact, each representing primary cabinet members (Secretary of State, Vice President, Director of National Intelligence, Secretary of the Treasury and Secretary of Defense). Then, still using Signal, a policy discussion began over the US restarting its war on Yemen.
From this we learn a wide range of interesting things. The first is that Vance's statement to Europe that its enemy lies within is equally true in the US. Team Trump is engaged in a running battle with elements of the US administration (the deepstate) and thus does not use the US government's own secure messaging systems for policy coordination. I'll say that again:
The US government's leading cabinet figures are not using the US government's own secure messaging facilities for policy coordination.
They used Signal.
Why? Because it is the best in class secure messaging system. (Like any messaging system its does what you ask of it, even including journalists in your "private" discussion group. This brings us to the foundational point of secure messaging: it requires training and discipline.)
Now you are free to read the texts sent over Signal between members of the US cabinet and their representatives, including typos, poor grammar, acronyms and phrases specific to their culture. These themselves inform one of their methodologies and sensitivities.
Prediction
Expect a constructed narrative which attacks Signal based on this leak. It is likely to blame the technology rather than the human source of the leak. It will certainly not focus on the contents of the leak. Hence, I suggest reading them.
We've seen this before. It was called RussiaGate. This, ironically, is the primary cause of the conflict between the deepstate and Team Trump. Hence, Moxie Marlinspike (the designer and creator of Signal) will be rolling on the floor laughing.
Enjoy.
PS:
I wish to offer Jeffrey Goldberg and his editors at The Atlantic congratulations for including in their story the actual texts, the account names used, and the times of messages. This is called journalism. It is obviously not entirely dead in mainstream US media.
I also expect this story to grow and to further report on it.
or support this work via Buy Me A Coffee or Patreon.
Sources
The Trump Administration Accidentally Texted Me Its War Plans - The Atlantic; Theatlantic; Archive.today; 2025-03-24 [Alternate URL, from archive.org]
Here Are the Attack Plans That Trump's Advisers Shared on Signal - The Atlantic; Theatlantic; Archive.today; 2025-03-26
Later, the “full” chat.
Vance Cautioned Against Bombing Yemen, Calling it a 'Mistake'; Dave DeCamp; Antiwar; 2025-03-24
2nd Hand reports / Reactions
Dems Explode Over Leak Of Secret War Plans In Signal Chat: 'Heads Should Roll'; ZeroHedge; Archive.today; 2025-03-24
White House inadvertently texted top-secret Yemen war plans to journalist | Trump administration | The Guardian; Theguardian; Archive.today; 2025-03-24
The Trump administration planned Yemen strikes in an unauthorized Signal chat; TechCrunch; Archive.today; 2025-03-25
White House mistakenly shares Yemen war plans with a journalist at The Atlantic; Reuters; Archive.today; 2025-03-25
Top 4 takeaways from Trump Cabinet's explosive leak of Yemen war plans; Axios; Archive.today; 2025-03-24
Pentagon chief comments on 'Yemen war plans’ leak — RT World News; Rt; Archive.today; 2025-03-25
Schumer slams Trump administration over war plans Signal chat; Thehill; Archive.today; 2025-03-25
5 revelations from the Trump administration’s war plan texts - POLITICO; Politico; Archive.today; 2025-03-24
Atlantic journalist pushes back on Hegseth comments: 'He was texting war plans'; Thehill; Archive.today; 2025-03-25
Journalist Sues to Secure Three Months Worth of Hegseth Signal Chat Messages; Eloise Goldsmith; Common Dreams; 2025-04-25
The law suit will fail. It is being used as part of a political campaign to remove Hegseth and score points for the other half of the Uniparty.
About Tor: What, Why, How and Who is Tor?; YesXorNo; 2022-04-09
DEF CON 18 - Moxie Marlinspike - Changing Threats To Privacy, Moxie Marlinspike (creator of Signal), DEF CON 18, 2010
The below video is re-included from the above article on Tor.
It is the BEST IT/Security presentation OF ALL TIME, in your author’s not so humble opinion.
After the 26th minute it becomes technical. The first half is not. It is devastatingly insightful. It predicts the Snowden revelations which were to come 3 years later.
Copyleft: CC0
Is this a setup to preserve JD Vance's cred ?