![]() ![]() We want to ensure that as many people as possible, globally, can use Signal and rely on Signal. So we are not looking to charge for the service. And of course, people’s relationships, people’s workplaces, people’s friendships don’t work that way. You know, in Signal’s case, if we charged for Signal, we would basically be saying only people who pay for a Signal are people you’re able to communicate with. Is privacy destined to become something only accessible to folks who can afford it? I’m thinking virtual private networks, services that scrub your info from data brokers, private email. But a lot of the services that help people reclaim some amount of privacy online are not. Whittaker: Not yet, but I am going to add it to the list of ideas and incentives. We think among the many millions of people who rely on Signal, there are enough of them that will be eager to kick in a little bit, that we can make this work. If we have millions of people supporting Signal, kicking in a little bit every month, it’s very unlikely that, say, the head can be cut off that model. ![]() So what we’re looking at right now is the small donor model, in particular, because it’s a model that is really difficult to suddenly disrupt. And that’s a very lean budget, given what we’re doing, given our reach and availability. It costs tens of millions of dollars a year to develop and maintain Signal. One thing that isn’t always obvious is that developing high- availability software is extremely expensive. Can you talk about why Signal is going that direction right now? This is quite different than the way that other messaging apps generate revenue. I can even see some echoes of the public radio model in there with badges in exchange for donations, language like “sustainers. So if we’re asked for data, we can provide almost nothing so that you can have, you know, truly ephemeral and intimate conversations with people without a fear that that will show up in a breach or be handed over in a subpoena or what have you.Īdams: One of the more recent changes at Signal is to start asking for donations. We don’t know anything about you, we don’t know the contents of your messages, we don’t know who you are, we don’t know who you’re talking to, we don’t know who’s in the group texts that you’re sending your memes to, we don’t know anything. But unlike most other apps, Signal collects no data about you. Whittaker: Well, you know, it really depends on the app we’re talking about. Kimberly Adams: How does the way that Signal handles communications differ from other apps? So how do we continue building high-availability software without having that source of financing? Signal doesn’t participate in the surveillance business model that underwrites so much of the tech industry. Where are we going? How are we getting there? I’m also thinking a lot about building a model for long-term sustainability. Meredith Whittaker: My focus overall is going to be on guiding strategy. The following is an edited transcript of their conversation. ![]() Marketplace’s Kimberly Adams recently spoke with Whittaker about the future of the company, how she’d like to grow Signal without monetizing their users’ data and digital privacy issues at large. She’s been on Signal’s board since 2020 and says she plans to continue the company’s focus on encryption. Signal’s staff is small compared to those of messaging apps like Telegram, WhatsApp or iMessage - which comes pre-installed in iPhones - but it’s growing.įormer Google researcher and digital privacy advocate Meredith Whittaker just signed on as Signal’s new president and today is her first day on the job. Signal consistently ranks as one of the more popular choices for privacy advocates, and the app is increasingly being used by people beyond the cybersecurity crowd. ![]() More folks are paying attention to things like encryption and the security of their messaging apps. There have been a lot of conversations here on “Marketplace Tech” about digital privacy. ![]()
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