@paulfree14 @bortzmeyer

The fact that Signal requires a phone number is annoying, but I understand the decision. It remove many barriers to use.

Unlike other messaging apps, users don't have to understand they they have an account, don't need a password, etc. Contact discovery is also much simpler, no need to maintain a separate contact list for Signal. So install Signal and can immediately send encrypted texts to any other Signal user. This simplicity is why it's so popular

@paulfree14 @bortzmeyer but I'm really hoping they'll allow users to register with email addresses instead some day. The fact that you need a phone number is barrier to anyone who needs anonymity, and I end up writing complicated tutorials for how to get around sharing your phone number, like this: https://theintercept.com/2017/09/28/signal-tutorial-second-phone-number/

@bortzmeyer @paulfree14 @micahflee for such use case, there is Wire. Plus, they are hosted in Europe which means strict privacy laws.