The TLDR of the paywalled article:
The order stems from fears that the chat group may have become the target of targeted cyberattacks.
The decision was made according to the report after the Commission became aware of the group’s existence last month and deemed the risk of compromise too high. While there is no evidence yet that communication has actually been intercepted, the threat situation has escalated.
The Commission is now reacting with stricter IT guidelines and regular checks of employee hardware.
Recently, Dutch authorities warned of a global campaign in which Russian cybercriminals are using fake Signal support bots to lure users into traps.
I feel the title is really not in line with the article contents: the only thing it says about signal specifically it is that it lacks some security and management features common in state run infrastructure.
It seems it is more a case of generally tightening the rules about the politicians’ communications’ channels in general.
In the article itself there is no talk about a general ban, but about a very large group in particular because the commision says that the more people are in a group the easier it is for one of the users to be compromised (e.g. by their device being hacked or stolen)
Sadly, I don’t see anything in the article (or those linked from it) regarding why they should avoid Signal specifically. The issues mentioned apply to other messengers as well. This move might just lead to worse alternatives without solving any problem.
The issues mentioned apply to other messengers as well.
Other commercial messengers that target the general public, yes. But specialized communication apps for governments exist that for example have security clearance baked in at protocol level.
VdL uses WhatsApp to discuss all the deals with her pals.
The fact we’re de facto ruled by people who are VERY susceptible to phishing attacks, should be the canary jn the coal mines to where our democracy is heading. We can’t keep having politics be a career path for illiterate imbeciles, mostly coming from wealthy families.
If it’s anything like my workplace, Signal is where back channel communication occurs. Unofficial and with no accountability. Disappearing messages. No logging. No auditability.
While those features are great for privacy and a free society, they aren’t so great for a government accountable to the public.
