Politics
NEW: Biden-Era Policy Suggested Signal App For High-Level Officials: ‘Best Practice’
Top intelligence officials in the Biden-Harris administration encouraged staffers being “targeted” by foreign intelligence services to utilize Signal, the encrypted communications app at the center of a firestorm over how a journalist was able to access a group chat in the Trump administration.
In 2024, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency issued guidance to former President Joe Biden’s national security team, encouraging them to rely on services like Signal because of its ability to provide “end-to-end encryption.” Those policies were carried over to the Trump administration, according to U.S. Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR), who said on Tuesday that he had been briefed on the matter.
“It is my understanding that the Biden administration authorized Signal as a means of communication that was consistent with presidential recordkeeping requirements for its administration, and that continued into the Trump administration,” Cotton said during an appearance on “Fox & Friends.”
CISA suggested that year that such “end-to-end encrypted communications” services should be downloaded on phones and government computers, specifically citing Signal as an example.
“CISA strongly urges highly targeted individuals to immediately review and apply the best practices below to protect mobile communications. Highly targeted individuals should assume that all communications between mobile devices – including government and personal devices – and internet services are at risk of interception or manipulation. While no single solution eliminates all risks, implementing these best practices significantly enhances protection of sensitive communications against government-affiliated and other malicious cyber actors,” the guide reads.
The document, obtained by Fox News, goes on: “Adopt a free messaging application for secure communications that guarantees end-to-end encryption, such as Signal or similar apps,” the guidance states. “CISA recommends an end-to-end encrypted messaging app that is compatible with both iPhone and Android operating systems, allowing for text message interoperability across platforms.”
“Such apps may also offer clients for MacOS, Windows, and Linux, and sometimes the web. These apps typically support one-on-one text chats, group chats with up to 1,000 participants, and encrypted voice and video calls. Additionally, they may include features like disappearing messages and images, which can enhance privacy.”
Signal is an app that mimics a phone’s ability to make calls and send text messages but routes those communications through an encrypted translation, making it difficult or nearly impossible to decipher what is being said if a third party is listening.
The app has grown in popularity, rising from the ranks of journalists communicating with sources to the White House. Politico reported this week that the app began being used during the Trump campaign after intelligence officials last year warned that Chinese hackers were attempting to break into the phones of President Trump and Vice President Vance.
The guidance was released months before a reporter with The Atlantic published a bombshell report alleging that Trump administration officials had inadvertently invited him to a group chat on Signal where “war plans” were being discussed. The article prompted rebukes and pushback almost instantaneously.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt accused editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg of using “sensationalist spin” to push a false narrative about “war plans” being shared. U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, in a meeting with President Trump on Tuesday, told reporters that no classified information was shared on the chat.
By Wednesday morning, The Atlantic had changed the headline of the story to remove the term “war plans.”
