this post was submitted on 01 May 2025
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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 255 points 3 days ago (7 children)

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 125 points 3 days ago (1 children)

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 40 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago) (2 children)

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 17 points 3 days ago (1 children)

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 3 days 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 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago)

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

[–] Wispy2891@lemmy.world 22 points 3 days ago (1 children)

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 18 points 3 days 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.

[–] refurbishedrefurbisher@lemmy.sdf.org 15 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago) (1 children)

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 7 points 3 days ago (1 children)

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.

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[–] Texas_Hangover@sh.itjust.works 13 points 3 days ago (2 children)

Petah Tikva.

Sounds like a Klingon insult.

[–] otter@lemmy.dbzer0.com 7 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago)

Petak-T'kva!

/ stab

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[–] iAvicenna@lemmy.world 10 points 3 days 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

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[–] shittydwarf@lemmy.dbzer0.com 104 points 4 days ago (6 children)

We trained him wrong, as a joke

[–] OldManBOMBIN@lemmy.world 24 points 3 days ago

I am bleeding, leaving me the victor!

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[–] CaptDust@sh.itjust.works 94 points 3 days ago (6 children)

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

[–] floop@lemmy.dbzer0.com 116 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago) (2 children)

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 58 points 3 days ago (1 children)

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

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

[–] WHARRGARBL@lemmy.world 53 points 3 days ago (1 children)
[–] TachyonTele@lemm.ee 23 points 3 days ago (3 children)

It's like every mind numbing event is endcapped with a stinger: But wait, there's more!

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[–] catloaf@lemm.ee 19 points 3 days ago (1 children)

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

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[–] 4am@lemm.ee 72 points 3 days ago (2 children)

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

No wonder they moved fast to block any investigation

[–] _cryptagion@lemmy.dbzer0.com 40 points 3 days ago (1 children)

It's backed up to the Israeli software company that makes this unofficial version of Signal. Probably the only people it's less safe with than the Russians.

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[–] PenguinMage@lemmy.world 12 points 3 days ago

Noooo, it's not that they're guilty of anything... it's to protect from the deep state and the radical left commiefascist"insertbuzzword"s! I'd put "hey look at the bunny" but these assholes aren't even trying to distract anymore, it's just plain and simple corrupt government running for their own best interests while throwing out half hearted stupid sound bites to appease the brain washed.

[–] N0body@lemmy.dbzer0.com 68 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago) (1 children)

Super Secret MAGA Signal Archive App!

Download MAGASecretsApp.exe at MAGASecretsApp. ru now!

[–] _cryptagion@lemmy.dbzer0.com 22 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Actually, it's an Israeli version of Signal, so it's literally the only people in the whole world worse at spying on their "friends" than the Russians.

[–] mjhelto@lemm.ee 27 points 3 days ago (1 children)

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.

[–] skozzii@lemmy.ca 15 points 3 days ago

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

[–] iAvicenna@lemmy.world 25 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days 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

[–] Vytle@lemmy.world 18 points 3 days ago (5 children)

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 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago)

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

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[–] lupusblackfur@lemmy.world 36 points 3 days ago (1 children)

“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 24 points 3 days ago (4 children)

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

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[–] Fingolfinz@lemmy.world 28 points 3 days ago (1 children)

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 12 points 3 days ago (1 children)

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

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[–] DemandtheOxfordComma@lemmy.dbzer0.com 30 points 3 days ago (2 children)

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

[–] adarza@lemmy.ca 15 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago)

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

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[–] tomatolung@lemmy.world 7 points 3 days ago
[–] TransplantedSconie@lemm.ee 25 points 4 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

[–] clonedhuman@lemmy.world 18 points 3 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.

[–] Evotech@lemmy.world 4 points 3 days ago

Gotta save that juicy blackmail

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