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In 2014, Moxie Marlinspike and Brian Acton founded Signal as a non-profit organization with the goal of creating affordable, open-source privacy tools. The new venture combined the capabilities of two previous applications, RedPhone and TextSecure, which are known for their encrypted voice calls and messaging, respectively. After receiving significant initial funding of $50 million from Brian Acton, the former co-founder of WhatsApp, Signal began its journey.

In 2016, its growth trajectory took a sharp upward turn, especially after Facebook’s acquisition of WhatsApp. Signal carved a niche for itself by championing the principles of privacy. A major milestone came in 2021 when it saw a noticeable exodus of users from WhatsApp after a controversial privacy policy revision. Signal saw a dramatic 468% increase in downloads, bringing its active users to over 40 million.

What sets Signal apart is its unwavering commitment to privacy. Unlike many other platforms, Signal stores minimal user data and consistently refuses to create any legal loopholes. The platform’s robust encryption is based on Signal’s open-source protocol, which, interestingly enough, is the basis of encryption in other well-known messaging platforms such as WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger.

However, this pursuit of privacy doesn’t always go smoothly. In some regions, Signal faces opposition from governments and telecom operators who try to restrict the use of such encryption tools. To counter these challenges, Signal utilizes innovative methods such as domain cover to circumvent these obstacles. Guided by a non-profit ethic, Signal’s goal is simple: to facilitate private communication for all without commercializing user data or resorting to advertising.