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Mike Waltz accidentally reveals obscure app the government is using to archive Signal messages (www.404media.co)
submitted 2 days ago by MicroWave@lemmy.world to c/news@lemmy.world
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A photograph of Trump administration official Mike Waltz's phone shows him using an unofficial version of Signal designed to archive messages during a cabinet meeting.

Mike Waltz, who was until Thursday U.S. National Security Advisor, has inadvertently revealed he is using an obscure and unofficial version of Signal that is designed to archive messages, raising questions about what classification of information officials are discussing on the app and how that data is being secured, 404 Media has found.

On Thursday Reuters published a photograph of Waltz checking his mobile phone during a cabinet meeting held by Donald Trump.

The screen appears to show messages from various top level government officials, including JD Vance, Tulsi Gabbard, and Marco Rubio.

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[-] sun_is_ra@sh.itjust.works 240 points 1 day ago

The "TM SGNL PIN" message is displayed on an unofficial — and less secure — version of Signal created by a company called TeleMessage, which makes clones of popular messaging apps, but enables the ability to archive messages

https://www.businessinsider.com/mike-waltz-photographed-using-signal-messaging-app-during-cabinet-meeting-2025-5?op=1

TeleMessage is an Israeli software company based in Petah Tikva, Israel. Founded in 1999 by Guy Levit and Gil Shapira, it provides secure enterprise messaging, mobile communications archiving and high-volume text messaging services.[1]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TeleMessage

Let that sink in

[-] LePoisson@lemmy.world 117 points 1 day ago

Hello foreign intelligence agencies, would you like an easy way to intercept and read classified communications? Maybe just buy it off Mossad? JFC what is this clown show. Why are our intelligence officials even using off the shelf, or even modified, software solutions for communications? Shouldn't we have some secure messaging app and protocols developed here?

Am I missing something here or is it really this dumb?

[-] IndustryStandard@lemmy.world 39 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

They are going out of their way to use an Israeli platform to discuss top secret government business on. Seems pretty obvious why. They are taking instructions from ~~Israel~~ Russia!

[-] LePoisson@lemmy.world 19 points 1 day ago

I mean it's probably both but I would bet my life that Trump is actually a Russian agent. You don't grab a whole pile of classified documents and bring them to your home in a location secured worse than the door to a bedroom and not proceed to give those away.

Now, direct involvement and level of control - idk but he must be "on their payroll" so to speak.

Who knows they're a whole den of corruption, I wouldn't be surprised to learn some of Trump's staff are selling state secrets.

[-] 800XL@lemmy.world 13 points 1 day ago

Most of that shit went to Saudi Arabia for the 2 billion paid to Jared Kushner's company years ago.

[-] Trimatrix@lemmy.world 13 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

Isn’t Israel known for its tech firms making phone security bypass tech (I.E. NSO Group and their Pegasus SW?)

[-] refurbishedrefurbisher@lemmy.sdf.org 16 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

https://support.signal.org/hc/en-us/articles/360007321231-Archiving-or-unarchiving-chats

Am I just being dense or does stock Signal already have this feature?

You can also export the entirety of your Signal chats and decrypt them on a computer with an open source tool.

I also thought they were using Signal specifically to avoid FOIA, which requires government officials to archive their messages.

So it is possible government officials are using disappearing messages in Signal (which is illegal for multiple reasons), which will give a reason to use a third party app, not that this specific app should be trusted in any way.

[-] sun_is_ra@sh.itjust.works 6 points 1 day ago

My understanding is that Archiving chats would be keeping a copy of these chats accessible elsewhere for archiving purposes and not directly related to the archiving feature you've mentioned.

Signal does support chat backup which is close enough but its encrypted and its complicated to make one (for security reasons) and I am not sure its possible to view the encrypted chats without going through the process of restoring the backup.

[-] refurbishedrefurbisher@lemmy.sdf.org 3 points 1 day ago

There are third party, open source tools to view encrypted Signal backups if you have the key to decrypt them.

[-] Wispy2891@lemmy.world 21 points 1 day ago

I don't understand, signal is open source, why would they need to purchase an unofficial fork from a foreign company? Isn't that an huge security issue?

And what's the point of using end to end encryption if the app has been hacked to send messages to a remote server anyway

[-] sun_is_ra@sh.itjust.works 17 points 1 day ago

Signal is lacking a certain feature "Archiving messages" . This company used Signal's open source code to add this feature and offer the whole thing as a "Signal plus" product.

Assuming best intentions, Waltz wanted Signal but also wanted the ability to archive messages so he opted for the software provided by this company instead of the original.

[-] iAvicenna@lemmy.world 10 points 1 day ago

well that is how you become Israel's and Russia's bitch and sell your own country so they don't reveal the dirt that they found about you

[-] mlg@lemmy.world 3 points 1 day ago

Preloaded with Pegasus at your disposal lmao

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[-] skozzii@lemmy.ca 15 points 1 day ago

I'm just shocked he didn't have a post-it note with his code written in blue pen in the other hand...

[-] Vytle@lemmy.world 24 points 1 day ago

Yo this is a real interesting read but the title is straight clickbait that makes it seem like the gov't is externally archiving signal messages for citizens.

[-] Tja@programming.dev 12 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

I read it as intented, since most headlines in the last month have been about their own usage of Signal.

[-] piecat@lemmy.world 6 points 1 day ago

I mean, aren't they?

[-] 60d@lemmy.ca 1 points 1 day ago

It's TeleMessage, not Signal, but w/e

[-] piecat@lemmy.world 2 points 22 hours ago

No i mean, are they not just storing encrypted messages until they have capability to decrypt?

[-] 60d@lemmy.ca 1 points 8 hours ago

Yes, the US government has a longstanding 'grab everything' order in place.

It's just a matter of whether they want to put the resources towards deciphering something.

[-] shittydwarf@lemmy.dbzer0.com 162 points 2 days ago

We trained him wrong, as a joke

[-] OldManBOMBIN@lemmy.world 39 points 2 days ago

I am bleeding, leaving me the victor!

[-] junderwood@lemmy.world 25 points 2 days ago

squeak squeak

[-] billiam0202@lemmy.world 18 points 2 days ago

Someone should really try "my nuts to your fist style."

[-] Taco2112@lemmy.world 13 points 1 day ago

That’s a lot of nuts!

[-] cykopidgeon@lemm.ee 16 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

DA NA NA NA NA- NEO.

DA NA NA NA NA NA NA- SPORIN.

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[-] tomatolung@lemmy.world 6 points 1 day ago

This is a link to the modified app instruction.

https://www.telemessage.com/signal-archiver-android-installation-upgrade/

[-] CaptDust@sh.itjust.works 124 points 2 days ago

How did this photo even happen? They don't use privacy covers? Who's running this operation??

[-] floop@lemmy.dbzer0.com 144 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

This is the dumbass that is running the operation. Well, not anymore. He just got fired and nominated for ambassador to the UN.

Seriously

[-] TheLowestStone@lemmy.world 72 points 1 day ago

He just got fired and nominated for ambassador to the UN.

Wait, really? It's getting impossible to keep up with this shit.

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[-] catloaf@lemm.ee 23 points 1 day ago

You're not supposed to have sensitive info on your screen in public in the first place.

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[-] mjhelto@lemm.ee 26 points 1 day ago

Could it be that Mike was the insider that was leaking stuff to the media and this archiveable version of Signal is to be able to prove and/or keep Signal conversations that would otherwise be removed from the official app? I mean, just them using Signal is a violation of the Records Act, no, due to the ability to remove entire chats after a period of time? Everyone thinks he's incompetent or dumb, but he may have added that reporter on purpose to expose their use of Signal in the first place and he's using this unofficial version to save chats we would otherwise not have record of. If the insider info stops now, we'll know why.

[-] N0body@lemmy.dbzer0.com 115 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago)

Super Secret MAGA Signal Archive App!

Download MAGASecretsApp.exe at MAGASecretsApp. ru now!

[-] 4am@lemm.ee 74 points 1 day ago

So these convos are backed up somewhere. Outside of government control. Great.

No wonder they moved fast to block any investigation

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[-] iAvicenna@lemmy.world 23 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

lol this guy can assemble into a whole war thunder forum on his own

"send top secret government chats to a server in Israel?"

YES / LATER

[-] Evotech@lemmy.world 4 points 1 day ago

Gotta save that juicy blackmail

[-] TransplantedSconie@lemm.ee 70 points 2 days ago

Jd Vance:

I have conformation from my counterpart its turned off. He'll be there.

Oh boy! Here we go a crimin' again! ᕕ(ᐛ)ᕗ

[-] lupusblackfur@lemmy.world 50 points 2 days ago

“We are currently clean on OPSEC.”

"Only the best people."

These fucking clowns. I've lived through an awful lot of Gov't by the Stupid...

(Remember when we thought Bush the Younger was the dumbest president ever...??)

But this freak show simply outdoes anything that came before. 🙄 🤡 🖕

[-] TheLowestStone@lemmy.world 32 points 1 day ago

I long for the Bush era and that's fucking tragic.

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[-] Fingolfinz@lemmy.world 26 points 1 day ago

Let your local magats know how you feel about being subjected to this shit show daily. Really let them know how you feel.

[-] rumba@lemmy.zip 10 points 1 day ago

They just mumble TDS and start pretending to speak in tongues.

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[-] DemandtheOxfordComma@lemmy.dbzer0.com 41 points 2 days ago

To make matters somewhat worse, tele message appears to be an Israeli company

[-] adarza@lemmy.ca 24 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago)

mossad, looking through the logs: "already knew that. tell us something we don't know ffs."

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[-] clonedhuman@lemmy.world 38 points 2 days ago

The article makes me wonder if Waltz is intentionally countering the counter-revolution.

Either that, or he's just stupid as fuck.

Maybe both.

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this post was submitted on 01 May 2025
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