# Signal privacy rating

End-to-end encrypted messenger for text, voice and video calls, and groups, built on the Signal Protocol. Run by the non-profit Signal Foundation.

## Summary

Signal scores 78 out of 100 (grade B) on the messengers criteria. It meets 5 of 8 criteria: open source, no trackers or telemetry, no ads or data sales, end-to-end encrypted by default and metadata protection. It partly meets no phone number needed. It does not meet independent audit and decentralized. It is based in the United States: Five Eyes member; subject to the US CLOUD Act.

- Website: https://signal.org
- Source code: https://github.com/signalapp/Signal-Server
- License: AGPL-3.0
- Jurisdiction: United States. Five Eyes member. Subject to the US CLOUD Act.
- Home page trackers: none found
- Category: [Messengers](https://privacyratings.com/messengers/)
- Grade: B (78/100)

## Criteria

| Criterion | Answer | Note | Evidence |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Open source | Yes | AGPL-3.0. | https://github.com/signalapp/Signal-Server/blob/main/LICENSE |
| No trackers or telemetry | Yes | Exodus finds no trackers in the Android app, and the privacy policy lists no analytics. | https://reports.exodus-privacy.eu.org/en/reports/org.thoughtcrime.securesms/latest/ |
| No ads or data sales | Yes | Funded by donations to the non-profit Signal Foundation; the terms state it never sells or monetizes personal data. | https://signal.org/donate/ |
| Independent audit | No | No independent audit is published; only academic analyses of the Signal Protocol exist. |  |
| End-to-end encrypted by default | Yes | All messages and calls, including groups, use the Signal Protocol end to end. | https://signal.org/docs/ |
| No phone number needed | Partial | A phone number is required to register, but it is hidden by default and contacts can be reached by username. | https://support.signal.org/hc/en-us/articles/6712070553754-Phone-Number-Privacy-and-Usernames |
| Metadata protection | Yes | Sealed sender hides the sender from the server, and contact discovery runs in secure enclaves. | https://signal.org/blog/sealed-sender/ |
| Decentralized | No | One central service; the published server code cannot federate with the Signal network. |  |

Source: https://privacyratings.com/messengers/signal/
Edit: https://github.com/privacyratings/privacyratings.com/edit/main/ratings/messengers/signal.md