Lessons from Defense Department ‘Signalgate’ report
Featured Items
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AI browsers: the security headache nobody asked for
Despite their growing presence, AI-powered browsers aren’t ready for prime time when it comes to security
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Ask a security trainer: Can I trust public Wi-Fi networks?
The answer may surprise you
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Phishing scams are all trick, no treat
Online scamming has become an industry.
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Signal’s new Secure Backup feature
Right now it’s on Android beta, iOS and desktop are on their way soon, too.
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Added to the ICE group chat
ICE officers used unsecured text messages to communicate about a target marked for deportation. Then, they added a stranger
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Meta fixes bug that leaked AI chats
A security researcher found that by altering the ID attached to Meta AI prompts, he could get their chatbot to spit out someone else’s prompt and AI-generated responses
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Signal blocks Microsoft Recall from recalling
Signal is making it harder for your private messages to get pulled into Microsoft’s new Recall AI feature
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Telegram’s growing mountain of data requests
Telegram’s transparency reporting bot suggests their compliance with data requests from authorities has exploded between 2024 and 2025.
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Ask a security trainer: Checking identities in Signal
Welcome to “Ask a security trainer,” the column where the Digital Security Training team at Freedom of the Press Foundation (FPF) answers your burning questions at the intersection of journalism and security. Submit yours here! Let’s jump right into this week’s question.Dear DST,I’ve been seeing this story …
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More Signalgate than we can tolerate
Look, neither one of us wants this. But we’re going to have to keep talking about how defense officials are using Signal in unusual ways
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Signalgate: The saga continues
The Signalgate saga continues. This time, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth sent operational Yemen missile strike details to his wife and brother. Fortunately you can learn from Hegseth’s mistakes.
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Ask a security trainer: What information can my VPN provider see?
Virtual private networks are a useful tool for our digital security kit, but what exactly do they protect us from?
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Security lessons from a Signal group chat
The editor-in-chief of The Atlantic is added to a Signal group chat discussing national security information — presumably by accident
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Signal allows synching with new devices
Ever linked a new device to your Signal account, only to find you didn’t get your old messages? No longer!
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Media organizations are locking down
The New York Times reports media organizations are locking down their communications amid threats to the press.
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Telegram’s compliance with data requests skyrockets
Following CEO Pavel Durov’s arrest, the messaging app is giving more user IP addresses and phone numbers to U.S. authorities
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The 2025 journalist’s digital security checklist
Our digital security training team’s checklist to help journalists secure their digital life.
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Use Signal’s new call links
The encrypted messaging app just rolled out a new feature to let users join a call with just a link — groups no longer required
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Chrome phases out popular ad blocker — what now?
It’s the Digital Security Training team at Freedom of the Press Foundation (FPF), with security news that keeps you, your sources, and your devices safe. If someone has shared this newsletter with you, please subscribe here.In the newsIn its push to rework permissions within Google Chrome desktop …
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Metadata 102 — What is communications metadata and why do we care about it?
Even if we encrypt our chats, they yield metadata — data about our conversations. Let’s talk about why it matters.
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Why journalists should enable Signal usernames
With Signal’s new username and discoverability features, we’re done giving away phone numbers
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Overcoming challenges when setting up newsroom Signal tiplines
We outline important decisions for newsrooms when setting up Signal tiplines
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Signal, the secure messaging app: A guide for beginners
Also available in Spanish.
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From Tik to Tok: Security considerations for newsrooms using TikTok
By the end of 2021, TikTok reached one billion monthly users, becoming one of the most popular social media platforms globally. In the United States, the platform was one of the few that significantly increased its share of users who said they regularly use the platform to get their …
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Taking care with source security when reporting on abortion
What journalists can do to better manage digital security for sources when reporting on abortion.
