Notices by Signal (signalapp@mastodon.world)

We’ve improved private group video calls in Signal with new features, incl. call links.

Create a link that anyone on Signal can use to join a group call *without* having to join a Signal group chat first

+ raise hand, emoji reactions, calls tab, & more
https://signal.org/blog/call-links

Signal is blocked in several countries but you can set up a proxy server to help people access Signal no matter where they live. Here’s how:

https://signal.org/blog/proxy-please

Thank you for helping keep Signal available for everyone who needs it.

To share your proxies use #SignalProxy

We have already started working on more advanced censorship circumvention techniques, but in order for these efforts to be most effective we need the big companies who are dragging their feet on moving away from plaintext SNI headers to start taking this problem more seriously.

We're aware of reports that access to Signal has been blocked in some countries. As a reminder, Signal's built-in censorship circumvention feature might be able to help if your connection is affected:

Signal Settings > Privacy > Advanced > Censorship circumvention (on)

Official statement from @Mer__edith: the new EU chat controls proposal for mass scanning is the same old surveillance with new branding.

Whether you call it a backdoor, a front door, or “upload moderation” it undermines encryption & creates significant vulnerabilities.

https://signal.org/blog/pdfs/upload-moderation.pdf

Now in beta on Android & Desktop, coming soon to iOS:

Save custom nicknames & notes for anyone you’re chatting with on Signal, even if they aren’t in your phone’s contacts. Useful for adding missing letters in a lazy friend’s profile name or a reminder about where you met.

Phone number privacy and usernames are now rolling out to everyone using Signal version 7.0! Update your app to take advantage of these new features 🎇

https://signal.org/blog/phone-number-privacy-usernames/

Introducing usernames and phone number privacy on Signal!

We’re making it possible for people to connect with each other without having to share phone numbers. Now launching to beta users, available for everyone soon.

https://signal.org/blog/phone-number-privacy-usernames

Messengers only matter if people use them. So, thank you for your support, for telling your friends, for getting your group chats on Signal, and for supporting our work with donations.

It’s an honor to build Signal for you. We literally could not do it without you.

We are touched by and grateful for every donation, including the occasional envelope of cash.

We’ve still got a few shirts and totes left in stock for you and your friends!

(We’ll restock in the new year, too, in case we’re out of your size)

http://shop.signal.org

[Tech] workers, if your job offers a matching program for charitable giving, you can use their money to support something that matters to you. If that something is Signal, our tax ID number is 82-4506840.

We’re doing this to provide transparency into Signal, and to make clear why our choice of nonprofit status isn’t just nice to have, but a fundamental safeguard against the pressures of a profitable business model that fundamentally contradicts our stance on privacy.

By being transparent about Signal, we also hope to shed light on the industry. We show how expensive the development of high- availability consumer tech is & by implication the massive profitability of the surveillance business model underwriting most tech.

We also believe it is imperative to build alternatives to the current tech ecosystem & its reliance on surveillance. And building these alternatives requires understanding the political economy of the industry, so we don’t mistake an elegant idea for a realistic possibility.

If you rely on Signal, if you believe in what we’re doing, or if you want to support tech done differently, please donate to support our work.

https://signal.org/donate/

Signal is a nonprofit. But what does this mean in practice? Today we do something most tech co’s avoid: talk money. What does it cost for Signal to play in a lane dominated by billion $ corporations, while rejecting the surveillance business model?

https://signal.org/blog/signal-is-expensive/

Our quantum-resistant protocol upgrade, PQXDH, is now “the first machine-checked post-quantum security proof of a real-world cryptographic protocol.”

Thanks to the researchers who did this important formal verification! Read more from them here👇

https://cryspen.com/post/pqxdh/

PSA: we have seen the vague viral reports alleging a Signal 0-day vulnerability.

After responsible investigation *we have no evidence that suggests this vulnerability is real* nor has any additional info been shared via our official reporting channels.

Text formatting is now available on iOS, Android, and Desktop. Highlight the selected text and new vistas of personal expression await in bold, italics, strikethrough, and m o n o s p a c e.

Write now, send later.

If you’re using Signal on an Android phone, you can type up a message and schedule it to send whenever you choose.