If they do leave, would it still be possible to use Signal? I wonder if they will just block EU residents from downloading the app.
Of course, the nightmare scenario is if Signal is blocked entirely by European ISPs. Nothing that its built-in censorship evasion feature can’t fix, but we don’t really know how would a Signal exit work.
Update: Germany (well more so the ruling CDU/CSU coalition government) has confirmed they will not support Chat Control whatsoever. Still keeping this up since there is a non-zero chance it will be reintroduced again for the next few years
I’m guessing what this really means is that they will stop making the app available in these markets? I won’t be surprised if they didn’t highlight that there’s an APK that you can still download and use to bypass, albeit, not in so many words.
What I do see or almost want to see is they release a web version of Signal. That really would take away the responsibility from them to the governments whether to block the app/website or not. And it would then be each individual’s decision to use a VPN or other means to still access and use Signal.
What I don’t know is how feasible and secure a web version of an encrypted chat app can be. If you’re a developer or an expert, please share your thoughts.
I think what Signal means when they say they will pull out of the market to comply if such a law passes is that they will no longer even list the app in the app stores of those countries. That said, yes - individuals can download APKs and still use a VPN or a proxy to bypass.
@JG A web client would be pretty awesome. And doable; their desktop app uses Electron. If it's open source, which it should be, ideally, you could self host your own as well.
I like their reasoning: It would be like open all letters to check if something illegal is inside, which would clearly by unconstituational in most democratic countries (including Germany)