4 ms·

My understanding is that the use of signal started during biden's term. Is this not true?

whattheheckheck 1y ago
Nope
intermerda 1y ago
Not true at all. The use of Signal started during Obama's first or second term. While the app's first release was during his second term, it existed under various names and forms way back. Wikipedia has a great article on its history. I personally started using signal some time around 2018 and I'm sure there were millions of users by the time Biden began his term.
- mmooss 1y ago
  I thought the GP means that goverment officials such as the Secretary of Defense started using Signal during Biden's administration (though with no basis for that offered, yet).
  - gotoeleven 1y ago
    This is what Im talking about. https://www.snopes.com/news/2025/03/27/biden-authorized-signal/ https://www.snopes.com/news/2025/03/27/biden-authorized-sign...
    - mmooss 1y ago
      Right. They also use cell phones and send emails. The difference is, from the Snopes article: "... it explicitly did not allow use of Signal to communicate "non-public" Department of Defense information, which would have included the conversations Trump administration officials had in their group chat."
- rcbdev 1y ago
  [flagged]
  - intermerda 1y ago
    [flagged]
mmooss 1y ago
Do you have any evidence?
- gotoeleven 1y ago
  https://www.snopes.com/news/2025/03/27/biden-authorized-signal/ https://www.snopes.com/news/2025/03/27/biden-authorized-sign...
  - mmooss 1y ago
    Very different. See my response here: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43859373 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43859373
cosmicgadget 1y ago
Are you being intentionally nonspecific? The use of Signal for some purpose doesn't somehow mean it is appropriate for any purpose.
TiredOfLife 1y ago
During Obama they used a shared Gmail account by passing messages using the drafts feature.
- collingreen 1y ago
  Who is "they"?
  - vkou 1y ago
    The director of the CIA sending sexts (and as it later turned out, classified materials) to his mistress. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petraeus_scandal https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petraeus_scandal He was fired the day after it reached Obama's desk, and eventually got a slap on the wrist and two years' probation.
    - collingreen 1y ago
      Thanks for the link! It looks like this affair over webmail sparked a lot of investigation and resulted in a firing, two years probation, and a $100,000 fine. That sounds like a great start for this kind of thing and they were just talking dirty, not actively sharing mission details! Overall, yes let's please investigate and appropriately punish wrongdoing at all levels.

Nope

Not true at all. The use of Signal started during Obama's first or second term. While the app's first release was during his second term, it existed under various names and forms way back. Wikipedia has a great article on its history. I personally started using signal some time around 2018 and I'm sure there were millions of users by the time Biden began his term.

mmooss 1y ago
I thought the GP means that goverment officials such as the Secretary of Defense started using Signal during Biden's administration (though with no basis for that offered, yet).
- gotoeleven 1y ago
  This is what Im talking about. https://www.snopes.com/news/2025/03/27/biden-authorized-signal/ https://www.snopes.com/news/2025/03/27/biden-authorized-sign...
  - mmooss 1y ago
    Right. They also use cell phones and send emails. The difference is, from the Snopes article: "... it explicitly did not allow use of Signal to communicate "non-public" Department of Defense information, which would have included the conversations Trump administration officials had in their group chat."
rcbdev 1y ago
[flagged]
- intermerda 1y ago
  [flagged]

mmooss 1y ago

Do you have any evidence?

gotoeleven 1y ago
https://www.snopes.com/news/2025/03/27/biden-authorized-signal/ https://www.snopes.com/news/2025/03/27/biden-authorized-sign...
- mmooss 1y ago
  Very different. See my response here: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43859373 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43859373

cosmicgadget 1y ago

Are you being intentionally nonspecific? The use of Signal for some purpose doesn't somehow mean it is appropriate for any purpose.

TiredOfLife 1y ago

During Obama they used a shared Gmail account by passing messages using the drafts feature.

collingreen 1y ago
Who is "they"?
- vkou 1y ago
  The director of the CIA sending sexts (and as it later turned out, classified materials) to his mistress. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petraeus_scandal https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petraeus_scandal He was fired the day after it reached Obama's desk, and eventually got a slap on the wrist and two years' probation.
  - collingreen 1y ago
    Thanks for the link! It looks like this affair over webmail sparked a lot of investigation and resulted in a firing, two years probation, and a $100,000 fine. That sounds like a great start for this kind of thing and they were just talking dirty, not actively sharing mission details! Overall, yes let's please investigate and appropriately punish wrongdoing at all levels.