This Privacy Policy explains how the Signal mobile app ("Signal," "the app," "we," "us") handles information. Signal is a news and story credibility scorer. Our guiding principle is simple: we collect as little as possible, and we do not sell your data or store the content you type.
Signal is published by the developer of the Signal credibility app (contact below). Signal is an independent news-credibility tool. It is not a messaging app and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or connected to Signal Messenger or the Signal Foundation.
You can browse Signal's credibility verdicts on trending stories without creating an account, signing up, or providing an email address, name, or phone number. We do not maintain user accounts or user profiles.
Signal does not collect, store, or sell:
We do not sell, rent, or trade any personal data to anyone. We do not use third-party advertising or data-broker services.
When you browse trending verdicts or submit a claim, link, or tweet for scoring:
When there is not enough coverage to score an input, Signal returns "Undetermined — insufficient sourcing." When an input is subjective, Signal returns "Matter of opinion — not a factual claim."
To understand how the app is used and to improve it, Signal keeps lightweight, anonymous and categorical usage analytics. These record categories of activity — such as which screen was opened, which verdict or outcome type was shown, which score band was returned, and which features or buttons were tapped — and a random, non-identifying installation token used only to count distinct devices. They do not include the text of your queries, your name, your identity, your contacts, or your location, and we do not use them to track you across other apps or services. We keep a copy on your device (to tailor minor in-app behavior) and may transmit these categorical events to us in aggregate to see what's working and improve the product. We do not sell this data.
Signal offers an optional auto-renewing subscription, "Signal Pro." All billing is processed by the app store you purchased through — Apple's In-App Purchase or Google Play Billing. We do not receive or store your full payment card number or billing details. Apple and Google handle the transaction and provide us only with anonymized or aggregated subscription status needed to deliver the service. Please review Apple's and Google's privacy policies for how they process payments.
We do not share personal data with third parties for their own purposes. Limited technical interactions occur only to operate the app:
| Recipient | What it receives | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Public news source (e.g., Google News) | A topic/headline query (not tied to your identity) | To fetch public news headlines for scoring |
| Optional language-model server | Topic/headline text for verdict reasoning | To generate the written explanation of a verdict |
| Apple / Google | Subscription purchase data | To process in-app purchases (handled entirely by them) |
None of the above is used to advertise to you, and none of your data is sold.
Because Signal does not require an account and does not store your queries or personal identifiers, there is generally no personal profile to delete. On-device categorical analytics are removed when you delete the app or clear its data from your device. If you believe we hold any information about you and wish to inquire or request deletion, contact us at the email below and we will respond.
Signal is a general-audience news app and is not directed to children under 13 (or the equivalent minimum age in your jurisdiction). We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. The app is not enrolled in Apple's Kids Category or Google Play's Designed for Families program. If you believe a child has provided us personal information, contact us and we will take appropriate steps. Because the app does not collect personal information or require an account, it is designed to minimize any such risk.
Network requests made by the app (for example, to fetch public news headlines) use encrypted connections (HTTPS / TLS) where supported by the source. Because we do not collect accounts, contacts, location, or store your queries, the amount of personal data at risk is minimal by design.
Depending on where you live (for example, under the GDPR or CCPA/CPRA), you may have rights to access, correct, or delete personal data, and to opt out of "sale" or "sharing" of personal data. Signal does not sell or share personal data, and collects essentially none. You can still contact us with any privacy request using the details below, and we will respond as required by applicable law.
Signal can be used from many regions. Public news data and optional verdict-reasoning requests may be processed on servers located in various countries. We limit such processing to operating the app's scoring and explanation features as described above.
We may update this Privacy Policy as the app evolves. When we make material changes, we will update the "Last updated" date above and, where appropriate, note the change in the app. Continued use of Signal after an update means you accept the revised policy.
Questions or privacy requests? Email rbefraim@gmail.com.