It's Going Down"The move is yet another piece of the Signal ethos to keep as little data on hand as it can, lest the authorities try to intrude on the company."
https://theintercept.com/2024/03/04/signal-app-username-phone-number-privacy/
jenkinse@igd_news Keeping "as little data on hand as it can" would mean not having phone numbers on hand in the first place
Lee writes:
"If Signal receives a subpoena demanding that they hand over all account data related to a user with a specific username ... Signal would turn over that user’s phone number ... optional usernames are only a partial fix"
Lee's a good journalist and privacy advocate but this article mostly just echoes Signal talking points IMO