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It’s not just encrypted email provider ProtonMail which has seen a notable rise in new users since Donald Trump was elected President of the United States.

Moxie Marlinspike, co-founder of Open Whisper Systems, which produces the secure messaging app Signal – recommended by no less an influencer than NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden – spoke recently to Marketplace.

In the interview, Marlinspike says that Signal has recorded a 400% increase in growth since Donald Trump won the US election.

And that, says Marlinspike, has incentivised an increasing number of people to look into ways in which they can ensure their communications remain private:

“Donald Trump is about to be in control of the least accountable surveillance apparatus in the history of the world. That’s something that’s been expanding under Obama, and I think people were comfortable with that in the sense that they trusted his personal judgment. I think people are less comfortable with how Donald Trump is going to use that.”

Signal is my preferred secure messaging app. You should try it out.

Don’t believe anybody who tells you that your usage of encryption suggests you’re up to no good. You use encryption everytime you make a purchase on the internet, companies use encryption to secure your data from hackers, and you’re using encryption right now reading this website.

And yes, Donald Trump uses encryption every time he sends a tweet.

Encryption is a powerful tool. Yes, it can be used by bad guys. But it’s predominantly used by innocent people for legitimate purposes, protecting themselves against hackers, online criminals and government mass surveillance.

It doesn’t matter which way we might lean politically as individuals, we should all recognise the important part encryption plays in protecting our lives.

Encryption is an essential weapon in the fight for every human’s right to privacy and liberty – and we should do everything we can to prevent it from being taken away from us.

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