The Trump administration was widely criticized for its secretive use of the ephemeral messaging app Signal to conduct government business. That was the unintended, but successful, result when a group chat accidentally copied journalist Jeffrey Goldberg. Both Signal, which has gotten praise for their robust privacy protections, and Telegram let users delete messages forever. Early on, the administration used this secure messaging app to coordinate an airstrike against the Houthi rebels of Yemen. We find this shocking and deeply troubling disclosure that – apparently wilfully – suggests the blatant disregard for established legal processes and the dangers such practices present. The planning group, which was reportedly conceived by national security adviser Michael Waltz, underscores the administration’s scandal-plagued disregard for secrecy and protocol.
Signal is an app marketed for its robust privacy features, allowing users to mark messages for deletion, rendering them permanently inaccessible to all members of a chat. Yet, this feature, though attractive for personal use, has troubling implications when used for the purpose of transacting official state business. Restricting variation Signal is banned on government devices. This raises serious questions about transparency and accountability, especially if administration officials had to use their personal phones for such sensitive discussions.
The Trump administration’s planning of a military strike on Signal would be a dangerous escalation in an already volatile region. This strike reportedly targeted Houthi rebels in Yemen. It had the potential of inflaming Iran, their backer and a nuclear state. The attack killed 53 people, including five children, underscoring the high cost of the attacks.
The planning group chat had frank and sensitive discussions about the timing of the attack. This raised huge questions about political messaging, coordination of personnel, and choice of weapons—all further complicated by journalist Jeffrey Goldberg’s accidental detonation. Conversations like these, usually maintained through official exchanges, keeping archiving frameworks, were held on Signal, and thus could not be preserved through conventional documentation apparatuses.
The Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025 has raised quite a bit of ire. It promotes avoiding records-keeping laws by using private apps such as Signal for official business. This recommendation does a nice job of laying out the harmful effects and risks to our national security that these practices entail. By cutting out known records-keeping processes, dangerous sensitive information becomes more vulnerable to foreign bad actors.
Signal’s message-disappearing features were used to delete all messages a few weeks into the antiwar-planning group chat. This action served to cripple any desire or ability to record and document and preserve these vital conversations. The administration’s reliance on Signal is emblematic of a more widespread—as well as cavalier—incompetence and blatant contempt for human life.