US Senate Intelligence Member Warns of Foreign Threats to Signal App Amid Controversy

On Sunday, Mark Warner, the ranking Democrat on the US Senate Intelligence Committee, raised alarms about potential threats from China and Russia targeting the encrypted messaging app Signal. Warner highlighted the app's advantages over traditional cellular networks, stating that adversarial nations like China, particularly through a group he termed "Salt Typhoon," have infiltrated these networks. However, he cautioned that Signal is also under siege by foreign actors and warned intelligence community members against using it for discussing classified information.

Yang Xiyu, a senior research fellow at the China Institute of International Studies, responded to Warner's claims, suggesting that American politicians often hastily blame China and Russia for various issues without substantial evidence, painting a picture of paranoia. He criticized the practice of scapegoating these nations, arguing that it misleads the public and violates their need for accurate information. Warner's comments also followed revelations about a Signal group chat where high-level US defense officials discussed military actions, leading to questions about the security of their communication practices.

During the interview, Warner expressed criticism towards White House officials involved in a breach related to Signal, asserting that their actions endangered American lives. Yang remarked that such behavior not only reflects a disregard for legal reasoning and national interests but also reveals a politically charged anti-China stance. Warner has previously utilized the Signal incident to link breaches in national security to external threats from China and Russia, a narrative that Yang and other experts argue serves to evade accountability for governance failures.

Furthermore, Li Haidong, a professor at China Foreign Affairs University, noted that certain US politicians have increasingly associated domestic security problems with threats from China, fueling a narrative that paints China as a villain. This follows previous unfounded accusations against China related to cyber threats, with China consistently rebutting these claims as baseless. A spokesperson for China's Foreign Ministry criticized the US for its lack of evidence and highlighted the longstanding history of cyberattacks conducted by the US against China.