We Need to Talk About Signal: Security Assumptions, Threat Models, and Activist Community Risk
Signal provides strong end-to-end encryption, yet its protections are often misunderstood. Many users assume encryption guarantees safety. It does not. Effective security depends on shared threat models, aligned risk tolerances, and consistent operational discipline across the group. When participants operate under different assumptions about risk, anonymity, device hygiene, or message retention, they can unintentionally expose one another to surveillance, infiltration, or targeted retaliation. This presentation examines Signal’s security model, clarifies what it does and does not protect against, and explores how group dynamics shape real-world risk. Drawing on personal examples, it will analyze how communities have been compromised both intentionally and inadvertently.
Sunday 1500 Grand Ballroom