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Comment by pyb | Hacker News Reader

How could Signal be considered privacy-conscious ? The first thing they do is ask for your phone number.

Signal has profiles nowadays that can be used to connect with people without sharing phone numbers. The latter are only used for signup and discarded immediately after.

I doubt they are discarded when push notifications exist

push notifications are not related to phone number, but rather to a randomly generated token in app.

I don't know how Signal works and I never used it, but could I signup with a phone number and keep using it with another number, on the same phone?

Yes. The phone number is just for activation, once activated, you can swap the SIM and carry on. Or have the SIM that receives the activation text in another phone, or be virtual, or whatever.

Another comment contradicted this.[1]

[1] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46959019

WhatsApp sends a copy of all your messages to ICE. Signal doesn't.

Source?

whatsapp is facebook; do you need any other "source"?

i'd be surprised if they didn't have straight out government logins...

Of course I need another source. I think you're right too but this is just speculation. I thought you had access to some actual information.

They're getting sued for it.

Anyone can sue anyone for anything. I have no doubt the US government has access to whatever data it wants from all businesses, but a lawsuit is not evidence of anything.

> They’re getting sued for it

If this is the case you’re referring to, then I don’t know that it is proof of your assertion, in fact maybe the opposite: https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2026/jan/31/us-author...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PRISM

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/XKeyscore

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Binney_(intelligence_o...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Room_641A

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parallel_construction

https://www.reuters.com/article/world/uk/nsa-staff-used-spy-...

Millennials and older generations witnessed this happening bit by bit, some of us tried to fight it, but ultimately it’s everywhere now, and apparently it’s been so ubiquitous for so long that people aren’t even aware of it anymore.

I am the person who asked for the source.

1) I do not believe for a second that Meta would actually implement something that would remove their own ability to read those messages.

2) We do not have any proof that their claimed e2e chat service is actually compromised.

The matter of fact tone of the parent made me think there was some actual proof or at least something more than speculation. That's why I asked for a source.

I am not sure I understand what you’re saying.

If meta can read those messages, then they’re most definitely not e2e encrypted.

Given the historical record, you would be a fool to assume that any service run by a public company isn’t fully tapped by US intelligence agencies. They’ve been tapping anything and everything they can get their hands on, why stop at whatsapp?

Let me flip it around: what proof do you actually have that it is e2e encrypted? Zuckerberg pinky promised?

You didn't actually flip it around at all.

They're stating they doubt Meta would ever allow full e2ee, which is not evidence but simply speculation.

AND

They asked for a source/evidence to prove their hunch is more than speculative.

What standard of proof is required here? It’s not criminal court.

The original post I replied to simply asked for proof, without also stating they doubt meta would ever allow e2ee.

My post is more directed at other readers who might take the absence of a smoking gun as an assumption of safety.

Not a single link has anything on OPs claim.

You’re right, so that must mean whatsapp is totally safe, right?

Both can be untrue...

because privacy != anonymity e.g you have privacy in your home but everbody still knows you live there.

Give Signal a burner phone.

No they don't.

They ask _for_ a phone number. It doesn't have to be yours.

Because they have an huge PR campaign and a lot of money to invest in keeping their place.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com