☕ Is Signal SFW?

Good morning!

We learned overnight that VP JD Vance will travel to Greenland, joining his wife Usha on a “cultural visit” to the island. It comes as the independence of the world’s biggest island was called into question by the Trump Administration, who see it as a key strategic territory. National Security Advisor Mike Waltz is also rumored to attend, but may be a little distracted by a certain messaging app.

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Some headlines from this morning:

• President Donald Trump has defended a number of high-ranking cabinet members involved in the use of the messaging app Signal to communicate about an impending military operation, inadvertently including a journalist in the group. National Security advisor Mike Waltz accepted “full responsibility” for making the group chat and adding editor Jeffrey Goldberg, stating, “We made a mistake, we are moving forward.” At a Senate hearing yesterday, intelligence service boss Tulsi Gabbard said no confidential information was shared. President Trump said the military operation was unaffected, and Waltz did not need to apologise. Democratic counterparts continue to call for members of the group to be investigated under the Espionage Act.

• Senate confirmation hearings for President Trump’s nomination for Israeli Ambassador, Mike Huckabee, and Panama’s Ambassador, Kevin Cabrera, have commenced. Huckabee distanced himself from his previous positions of support for Israeli annexation of the West Bank, saying he would “carry out the president’s priorities, not [his own].” Huckabee has also previously expressed opposition to a two-state solution in the region. Meanwhile, Cabrera said all options were on the table in US efforts to secure the Panama Canal.

• Millions of dollars in US bounties have been lifted from senior members of the Haqqani militant network, who play a key role in the Taliban’s governance of Afghanistan. The move comes days after a US delegation met with key Taliban leaders to secure the release of a US citizen currently in Afghani custody. During the conflict in Afghanistan, the Haqquani network was accused of orchestrating attacks on US and Indian embassies and NATO forces. Three key network leaders remain on the most-wanted list, but the $10 million bounties offered for their capture have been removed.

• Levels of optimism in the economy amongst consumers has dropped to four-year lows, according to the latest data from the US Consumer Confidence Index. The index is used to gauge how consumers are likely to spend in the near future, and it often gives a strong indicator of trends within the 40% of the US economy that is driven by consumer spending. Analysts said fears of tariffs and the rising costs of goods and services contributed to the skepticism, but the Trump administration said the Index does not accurately reflect consumer attitudes, dismissing calls to alter trade policies impacting households. 

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The White House confirmed on Monday that top members of the US national security apparatus had created and used a group chat hosted on the encrypted messaging service Signal.

National Security Advisor Mike Waltz accidentally added Journalist Jeffrey Goldberg, editor of The Atlantic, to the group. This week, Goldberg released a story detailing the group's contents and his subsequent investigation.

Notably, he alleged that Secretary of Defence Pete Hegeseth shared highly confidential information on an impending military operation in Yemen within the chat.

As debate rages about the proper handling of national security communications, let’s examine Signal and why there are concerns about its use in government contexts.

Signal and Encryption

Signal is a messaging app that encrypts messages, calls and video calls made on its platform. It markets itself as “the gold standard in private comms.”

Signal’s default is to encrypt messages sent on its platform, making it more secure than other messaging apps.

Encryption works like coloring a white piece of paper in a way that hides the message. Only with the correct key can the paper be restored to its original color, revealing the text.

This keeps the information safe and unreadable unless a user holds the proper decryption key. On Signal, only the person or persons receiving the message have the key.

Encryption secures written content or transferred files but does not protect the app itself from being hacked and decrypted with superior technology. It is this fear that fuels critics' concerns about the current administration's handling of sensitive national security information in such applications.

Should government employees use Signal?

In 2021, the Pentagon warned against the government's use of Signal, saying it breached record storage policies, which require records to be kept in some form so decisions or actions can be reviewed. The Pentagon also stressed that it was an unauthorised means of communication.

However, the government endorses other authorized means of communication and regulates which devices can be used. In a Senate hearing yesterday, CIA Director John Ratcliffe - who himself participated in the Signal group chat - admitted that most CIA employees used Signal.

US media outlets have spoken to Biden-era officials who used Signal to communicate in a national security setting but only in a limited way. Former Vice President Kamala Harris has previously said in interviews that she could not use any text messaging functions while she was in office.

A national security official who worked for the Biden administration told AP that Signal would typically be used to tell a co-worker to check authorized communication platforms for messages they may have missed.

What’s next?

Top US intelligence officials Tulsi Gabbard and John Ratcliff disputed that sensitive information had been shared on Signal at yesterday’s Senate hearing.

President Trump has ordered an immediate review of government employees' use of Signal.

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Russia and Ukraine have agreed to a ceasefire in the Black Sea.

It comes after U.S. officials hosted separate talks with the two countries in Saudi Arabia this week.

However, shortly after the announcement, Russia said no ceasefire would happen until a series of sanctions against it were lifted.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he was unaware of these conditions when he agreed to the deal.

The U.S. has pledged to “help restore Russia’s access to the world market.”

Background

The Black Sea is bordered by Russia to the north-east and Ukraine to the north-west.

Both nations use the body of water to transport grain, one of their key exports.

Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the two countries have

skirmished in the Black Sea. Ukraine has used drones and missiles launched from the land to take down Russian ships.

In 2023, a short-lived ceasefire deal, which allowed agricultural products access to the Black Sea, collapsed.

Ceasefire

Details of the ceasefire remain unclear, including when it would begin and how long it would last.

In its announcement, Russia said no ceasefire would go ahead until sanctions were lifted on the Russian banking sector, and food and fertiliser trade.

Zelenskyy said he was unaware of these conditions and had “no faith” in Russia.

Both Ukraine and Russia stressed that the US would need to enforce the ceasefire deal and punish non-compliance.

Last week, a limited ceasefire on energy infrastructure was also agreed upon.

Ukraine and Russia have accused each other of targeting such structures since then.

The Black Sea announcement also included a recommitment to the energy infrastructure ceasefire.

U.S. President Donald Trump said the deal was a sign “of progress” but added that there was “tremendous animosity” between the two sides.