14 DAY TRIAL // Signal, a mobile app recommended by Edward Snowden for having secure conversations online, has just announced the release of a desktop version, which will soon be available as a Google Chrome extension.
In the same category as Telegram, Silent Circle, and Threema, Signal is a well-known tool used by political dissidents, journalists, and paranoid people all around the world.
The app, first appeared on Android and later expanding to iOS, has been endorsed by the biggest privacy groups around, including by the EFF (Electronic Frontier Foundation), which also lauded the fact that it open-sourced its code, submitting it to public review.
Without any flashy or unnecessary features, Signal is loved for its simplicity and, of course, the privacy it provides.
"As always, everything is end-to-end encrypted and painstakingly engineered in order to keep your communication safe – allowing you to send high-quality private group, text, picture, and video messages for free," announced Open Whisper Systems, the team of developers behind Signal.
As with other cross-platform IM clients like Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, Yahoo! Messenger, or Apple iMessage, Signal will sync all conversations across devices, including text, images, and video.
Open Whisper Systems announced Signal Desktop yesterday but did not reveal when the app would hit the Chrome Web Store, nor whether a Firefox add-on is planned, or if a self-standing Mac or Windows app will be provided. The Chrome extension's source code, in true Signal fashion, has been open-sourced on GitHub.
