We are aware of recent reports regarding targeted phishing attacks that have resulted in account takeovers of some Signal users, including government officials and journalists. We take this very seriously.
To be clear: Signal’s encryption and infrastructure have not been compromised and remain robust. These attacks were executed via sophisticated phishing campaigns, designed to trick users into sharing information – SMS codes and/or Signal PIN – to gain access to users’ accounts.
To protect people from such phishing, Signal actively warns users against sharing their SMS code and PIN.
We also want to emphasize that Signal Support will *never* initiate contact via in-app messages, SMS, or social media to ask for your verification code or PIN. If anyone asks for any Signal related code, it is a scam. We make this clear when users receive their SMS code during initial signup.
@signalapp THERE IS NO LEGITIMATE REASON FOR #Signal TO DEMAND A #PhoneNumber (= #PII by circumstances if not mandatory doxxing to the governments aka. "#KYC")…
Signal
Kevin Karhan 
cock.li of all places…@signalapp@mastodon.world those attacks.would've not.been successful if you weren't a #proprietary, #centralized, #SingleVendor / #SingleProvider *"solution"* that doesn't do #SelfCustoy of all the.keys nor allows for #SelfHosting nor demands #PII like #PhoneNumbers that can be leveraged for that. - You know what I need to use @monocles@monocles.social / #monoclesChat or @gajim@fosstodon.org / #XMPP+#OMEMO? - Internet connection and an account on any server. Can't #phish if one doesn't have credentials for #phishing attacks ffs! - Can't get #phished if noone demands, stores, process or even demands such details in the first place! Also which #Government is that incompetent to not be able to setup their own comms?
@kkarhan since i’ve started hosting services for people, i came to the conclusion that the only thing you will need is an email, and only when there is no other option to reach out to the user.
let’s make it clear to everyone: phone numbers should only be shared to people you trust and nobody else
@gettie @kkarhan there's an obvious problem worldwide for using a telephone number as an identifier for any comms the national govt might not approve of.
Telephone numbers are *not* property owned by the enduser or even the telephone company - they are considered public resources administered by the Communications Ministry of each nation, which does make sense as there's a limited amount of them for each country!
So the govt will *always* feel entitled to investigate what they are used for, the same way there are speed limits, road signs and CCTV on the public street and often more restrictions on what you can do in public places as opposed to a private gathering...
@vfrmedia @gettie Point is that #Telco regulations stems from #Telegraphy and #Postal operations, and whilst there are legitimate reasons for #regulators to disconnect phone lines (otherwise #robocalling and #SMS-#Spam would be even more rampant than #eMail-#Spamming!)
That's why any "#secure communications" treats it as a hostile network and not to be trusted!
UK still sells prepaid SIMs but all providers either nudge you to have them delivered to a physical address and only allow cashless topups, or if you buy them from the shop it has CCTV (authorities have used this to catch those using PAYG SIMs for drug dealing lines and/or gang activity)
I'm slightly surprised I haven't been pulled over as I've been driving around with as many as 6-7 active mobile devices in my car (driving solo in a relatively small hatchback), but I suspect authorities already know from ANPR and my movements (plus the nature of these SIMS and devices) they are for frontline health and social care workers and not anything sinister..
@vfrmedia @gettie In fact, many places will literally note that down in their #LawfulInterception system (i.e. in Germany).
Tho for most stochastic surveillance the number of SIMs and devices isn't that high that you'd cause suspicion, given a lot of #IoT garbage has at least a #4G or #5G - modem in it to send telemetry and that 7 devices can also be assumed 1 fro the #eCall of the car and 3 people with 1 #DualSIM phone or a regular phone + laptop with WWAN modem each.
my car is just a few months before ecall was implemented (and it doesn't even work on some cars as 3G got ceased here), and some of the more modern cameras around these days would show I'm obviously driving solo and often at unusual hours of the night.
Although any tracking would also show I take the same route every day between either my home and workplace, or sometimes the coastal town where some of our staff are.
There is /some/ monitoring of social care workers as during Covid there were a few drugdealers pretending to be them (even getting uniforms etc), as well as healthcare workers themselves going rogue (I've noticed our staff are getting more attention from the Police recently, checking their cars are 100% legal)
@vfrmedia I mean in any juristictions it's legal for police to randomly pull over cars, check license & registration and ask for mandatory safety equient like Warning Triangle, First Aid Kit and Retroflective Vest to be presented.
@kkarhan here they tend to use ANPR hits and sometimes "public concerns" (there's a lot of nosey white folk reporting all the social carers for perceived bad driving simply because the carers are Black and brown)
UK just needs valid inspection record, tax and insurance (which cops can often check via mobile data terminals without going near the car), we aren't required to have the triangle, first aid kit and hi vis (although I carry these things anyway simply as it makes sense to have them)
@Avitus @leoschuldiner23 @gettie then you have enough money to top them all up and potentially pay bribes to get them anonymously.
Try that in Russia, Cuba, Iran or the "P.R." China, and tell me with a straight face that's feasible for #TechIlliterate #WageWorkers there!
@Avitus @gettie That is not a valid solution as they still demand a #PhoneNumber which in more and more juristictions you cannot obtain legally without self-doxxing to the providers if not government!
xenia 
Alex@rtnVFRmedia Suffolk UK
Leo Schuldiner🤘🏼
👊🇺🇸🔥