The European Commission strongly advises its staff to use Signal as their messaging app instead of WhatsApp or Telegram, preferably with disappearing messages enabled. This emerges from research by Dutch Follow the Money (FTM). Commission President Ursula von der Leyen also uses Signal to communicate securely and privately.
According to the advice, the Commission aims to reduce the risk of data leaks by using Signal and disappearing messages. Staff are also recommended to verify their Signal contacts through other channels to ensure they are communicating with the right person. This is intended to prevent a “Signal-gate” incident like the one that occurred earlier this year in the United States.
One drawback of politicians using disappearing messages in Signal is that communications cannot be accessed afterward. For instance, messages exchanged between von der Leyen and French President Emmanuel Macron can no longer be retrieved, meaning that other politicians, journalists, and interested parties cannot review von der Leyen’s decisions.
Signal designed for privacy and security
The European Commission’s choice of Signal over apps like WhatsApp or Telegram is a logical choice: Signal does not store metadata and does not collect user data. Whereas other platforms are owned by commercial parties with their own interests, Signal is an independent non-profit organisation fully focused on privacy and security. This table allows you to compare Signal with the other apps.
