If you join a large WhatsApp group, anyone in that group will have everyone else's phone number, and they can use that to learn far more about everyone's identities.
Does it not give away your identity when you join a Signal group?
this post was submitted on 22 Jun 2025
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Signal defaults to hiding your phone number since the release of user names: https://signal.org/blog/phone-number-privacy-usernames/
But they must still have your phone number and associate it with your username. So it would still be easy for a government organization to force Signal to give up the identities of all people who join a group.
Wrong. Signal servers don't know of group members.
Really? That's interesting. But the group membership list must be persisted somewhere, no? Otherwise, you wouldn't know where to send and receive messages. So where is it persisted then?
And also, how would you add someone to a group? When you add a new user to a group, would he be able to view all previous messages? Is it possible for this to scale to, say, a thousand or a million users?
They can't get your username from your phone number (but they can b'get your phone number from your username)
Not worried about my phone number, I'm more worried about my profile.
Your profile, like everything else on Signal, is also end-to-end encrypted. Your name and profile picture do get shared with whoever you chat with, groups or individuals. If you don't want your name and profile picture shared with randos, either don't set them or don't chat with randos.
your profile...is also end-to-end encrypted
That's fine if one of those ends isn't a public activism group.
If you don't want your name and profile picture shared with randos, either don't set them
I use Signal to talk to people I actually know, both personally and professionally. I don't want to message them from some sort of unidentifiable alias. And if I did they would know my alias and could disclose it to law enforcement.
or don't chat with randos.
You mean randos like you might find in a public activism group chat? Yes, that was my point, thank you.
settings > privacy > phone number > who can see my number > nobody
👍
Not worried about my phone number so much as my legal name...
No requirement to have your legal name in Signal. Though, I do wish it was possible to set a different name for group chats though. Happy to use my real name with friends and family, but would prefer an alias for group chats.
Happy to use my real name with friends and family, but would prefer an alias for group chats.
Exactly.
Maybe I'm just weird, but basically nothing I do in an online capacity traces back to my IRL identity. (I do maintain a linked in for professional purposes.)
I haven't used the groups, but I know you CAN opt to use usernames now.
My username is my name. As is my profile.
I mean, if you're using your name as your username, you can't really complain that Signal doesn't let you be private. That's on you.
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No, that's not on me. Signal should let me join groups without my username (this is what SimpleX does)
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The point is not to blame Signal, the point is to highlight that it's not safe to join these activist groups with Signal for this reason, and political action groups should not be using it for this reason, unless you use it exclusively for this purpose, which is also not good, because then it means you're not using it for your personal communications.
Or you could....you know.... NOT use your name as your screen name. That's like buying a hammer and complaining that the nail remover side isn't efficient at removing screws. Well.....yeah. You're not meant to use it that way.
If you actually read my comment before replying to it, I already addressed this. I use Signal in my personal and professional life. I do not want my clients to message me and see my ID as fucking xX_StarLord_69_Xx. Nor my family. It would be very confusing to them. If Signal gave me an option to use multiple profiles (like SimpleX does) I would, but it doesn't.
And if you read what I said, YOU'RE USING IT FOR THE WRONG PURPOSES!!!
LOL you think messaging friends, family and clients is "the wrong purpose"? According to whom?
Edward Snowden.
You don't know what you're talking about.
You're using a messaging app that was built with the express intent of being private and encrypted. You're asking why you can't have a right to privacy when you use your real name as your display handle in order to hide your phone number.
Yes, it does hide your phone number, by using your screen name as your identity.
If you then use personal details as your screen name, you can't get mad at the app for not hiding your personal details. That's not how this app works. That was never how this app worked.
Chatting with your friends and clients isn't what this app is for. This isn't facebook. There are other apps for that. This isn't that.
You're using a messaging app that was built with the express intent of being private and encrypted.
Yes.
You're asking why you can't have a right to privacy when you use your real name as your display handle in order to hide your phone number.
I didn't ask anything. I stated it definitively.
If you then use personal details as your screen name, you can't get mad at the app for not hiding your personal details.
I've already explained this. I am not mad. I am telling you why it's a bad product for activism.
Chatting with your friends and clients isn't what this app is for.
That's...exactly what it's for. And I don't know where you got the idea that it's not. It's absurd. Certainly Snowden never said anything of the sort. Signal themselves never said anything of the sort.
There are other apps for that.
Of course there are. They're varying degrees of not private, secure, or easy to use.
Signal, yes...
Or snikket (xmpp).
Or delta chat (email).
The three are good.
Simple-X ? GNU-Jami ?
I wish Signal had an option to create forums. With forum Like ui with threads its easier to organize things and keep up with projects over long periods of time.
For those that want more security:
Simplex does not give you anymore security. It does however, provide anonymity.
what's the security issue about simplex??
There is no security issue that I'm aware of.
Let's stay in touch! I'm on Signal. Just text me on Telegram. I've got Whatsapp with ads. I'm literally on Snapchat. You can probably find me on Kik. Dude text me on Matrix. It's a Wechat feature. I'm on Simplex. You can text me on Simplex. You can go to Simplex and text me. Log onto Simplex right now. Go to Simplex. Dive into Simplex. You can Simplex me. I'm on Simplex. Simplex has it for you. Simplex has it for you.
the produce aisle must be hell for you