Signal vs The Trust Project

Signal President Criticizes OS-Level AI Agents Over Privacy Risks

At the TechBBQ conference in Copenhagen, Signal President Meredith Whittaker warned that upcoming OS-level AI assistants, like Apple's Siri and Google's Gemini, present an existential threat to privacy. These integrated agents bypass end-to-end encryption by capturing screen content, such as screenshots, to process data via external large language models (LLMs). Whittaker linked the current AI boom to the ad-supported, mass-surveillance business models established in the 1990s, arguing that Big Tech's economic structures prevent true privacy. Without platform-level opt-out controls from Apple, Google, or Microsoft, she warned that privacy-focused apps like Signal may struggle to guarantee integrity within one to two years. Whittaker reaffirmed Signal's commitment to user trust, noting that the nonprofit requires approximately $50 million annually to operate, funded entirely by donations to resist commercial revenue and data monetization pressures.

• Signal President Meredith Whittaker warned that OS-integrated AI assistants (like Siri and Gemini) bypass end-to-end encryption by capturing screen content to process through external LLMs.
• Whittaker traced the modern generative AI boom directly back to the mass-data-collection and ad-supported surveillance business models established in the 1990s.
• Without platform-level opt-out toggles from Apple, Google, or Microsoft, Whittaker warned that privacy-focused apps like Signal could have their integrity compromised within one to two years.

Anthropic Unifies Claude and Cowork Memory

Anthropic announced it has merged the memory systems used by Claude chat and Claude Cowork so information learned in one experience is available in the other. The company now exposes stored memories so users can read, edit, or delete them, and memories are added incrementally during conversations rather than only at the end. By default Claude will exclude certain sensitive categories (health, race, religion, politics, gender identity) unless users opt in via an “include sensitive topics in memory” toggle; it will never save government IDs, Social Security numbers, criminal history, immigration status, or items violating its acceptable use policy. The memory feature is enabled by default across Free, Pro, and Max plans on web, desktop, and mobile (mobile users must update apps).

• Anthropic merged the memory system used by Claude chat and Claude Cowork so memories are shared between the two experiences.
• Users can now read, edit, or delete what Claude has retained in memory.
• Claude adds topics to memory during a conversation (incrementally) rather than summarizing only at conversation end.

WhatsApp strengthens account security with passkeys

Meta announced expanded WhatsApp account-security updates that add multiple passkeys per account, replace six-digit two-step verification PINs with longer alphanumeric passwords that allow letters, numbers and special characters, and provide richer incoming-call context (caller country/origin, WhatsApp nickname and whether you share a group), initially on Android. Passkeys enable biometric sign-in via Face ID or fingerprint and build on passkey support introduced in 2024; over one billion accounts have already added a passkey. WhatsApp says its end-to-end encryption protects more than three billion users. The features, described in a WhatsApp blog post and rolling out gradually alongside other changes (usernames and a paid “WhatsApp Plus” tier), aim to reduce phishing and account takeovers and align WhatsApp’s authentication with peers such as Signal and Telegram.

• WhatsApp is rolling out three security features: multiple passkeys per account; full alphanumeric two-step verification passwords with special characters replacing six-digit PINs; and richer incoming-call context (caller origin, WhatsApp nickname, and shared-group status), initially on Android.
• Passkeys support biometric sign-in (Face ID or fingerprint), build on passkey support introduced in 2024, and can be added to multiple devices/accounts.
• WhatsApp’s end-to-end encryption protects more than three billion users, and over one billion accounts have already added a passkey.

The Trust Project and TOMO Mags Launch the News Reading Club™

The News Reading Club™ is a program to exercise our brains and strengthen our communities, a bit like a running club.