![]() ![]() In Hong Kong they rose by 1,000% over the same period, coinciding with Beijing’s imposition of a controversial national security law. between March and August compared to the prior six months, according to data shared with TIME by the analysis firm App Annie, which tracks information from the Apple and Google app stores. Indeed, just as protests against systemic racism and police brutality intensified this year, downloads of Signal surged across the country. It’s like, woohoo, we’re doing great - but the world’s on fire.” “It’s a little bit bittersweet, because a lot of times our spikes come from bad events. “Any time there is some form of unrest or a contentious election, there seems to be an opportunity for us to build our audience,” says Brian Acton, the Signal Foundation’s co-founder and executive chairman, in an interview with TIME. One of the first things you see when you visit its website is a 2015 quote from the NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden: “I use Signal every day.” Now, it’s clear that increasing numbers of ordinary people are using it too. Signal is an end-to-end encrypted messaging service, similar to WhatsApp or iMessage, but owned and operated by a non-profit foundation rather than a corporation, and with more wide-ranging security protections. On Signal, being able to communicate efficiently, and knowing that nothing is being tracked, definitely makes me feel very secure.” “We don’t want them to know where we are, so they can’t stop us at any point. “I don’t think anything we say is incriminating, but we definitely don’t trust the authorities,” says Russell. The pair used Signal to discuss tactics, and to communicate with their teams marshalling protestors and liaising with the police. Within a month, Oleita and Russell had arranged a nonviolent overnight occupation at a detention center on the outskirts of Detroit, in protest against a case where a judge had put a 15 year-old Black schoolgirl in juvenile detention for failing to complete her schoolwork while on probation. “I think Signal became the most important tool for protesting for us,” she says. ![]() “They were saying that to be safe, they were using Signal now,” Oleita tells TIME. The activist who replied told her to download the messaging app Signal. Seeking practical help, Oleita reached out to Michigan Liberation, a local civil rights group. ![]() earlier this year, the two 17 year-olds from Michigan, both of whom are Black, were inspired to organize one of their own. ![]() But as demonstrations against systemic racism and police brutality began to spread across the U.S. When he's not writing, you'll probably find him hitting the gym, trying to ace a new hobby, reading his textbooks, or traveling.Signal's logo Credit - Lam Yik/Bloomberg via Getty ImagesĪma Russell and Evamelo Oleita had never been to a protest before June. In addition to his role at AP, Arol also writes for sister sites MakeUseOf and How-To Geek, where he writes mostly about computing. You'll normally find him covering news, although he has also written the occasional deal, buyer's guide, how-to post, and round-up. While he's a technology lover at heart, he holds Android phones, and smartphones in general, close to heart. Arol brings half a decade of writing experience, and the occasional hot take, to his writings. He transitioned to a news and feature writer role at XDA Developers that same year, where he worked until 2021 before making the jump to AP. Years later, in 2017, he got his true start in tech journalism working for a small Google-focused site called Pixel Spot. He first began writing online for the short-lived portal of Spanish-language gaming forum Emudesc in 2013. Arol is a tech journalist and contributor at Android Police. ![]()
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