Signal
Signal has exceptionally privacy-friendly terms that explicitly state they cannot access your messages due to end-to-end encryption and will never sell your data. However, they still include standard liability disclaimers and can terminate accounts for any reason. Their forced jurisdiction clause requires disputes be resolved in California courts.
The Bottom Line
AI-generated summary of the terms as we read them. Opinion, not legal advice.
Signal has exceptionally privacy-friendly terms that explicitly state they cannot access your messages due to end-to-end encryption and will never sell your data. However, they still include standard liability disclaimers and can terminate accounts for any reason. Their forced jurisdiction clause requires disputes be resolved in California courts.
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Notable Clauses
“You agree to resolve any Claim you have with us relating to or arising out of our Terms, us, or our Services exclusively in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California or a state court in San Mateo County, California.”
“We may modify, suspend, or terminate your access to or use of our Services anytime for any reason, such as if you violate the letter or spirit of our Terms or create harm, risk, or possible legal exposure for Signal.”
“OUR AGGREGATE LIABILITY RELATING TO, ARISING OUT OF, OR IN ANY WAY IN CONNECTION WITH OUR TERMS, US, OR OUR SERVICES WILL NOT EXCEED ONE HUNDRED DOLLARS ($100).”
“WE PROVIDE OUR SERVICES ON AN "AS IS" BASIS WITHOUT ANY EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, TITLE, NON-INFRINGEMENT, AND FREEDOM FROM COMPUTER VIRUS OR OTHER HARMFUL CODE.”
“You own the information you submit through our Services.”
“Signal does not sell, rent or monetize your personal data or content in any way – ever.”
Protect Yourself
ACTIONABLESettings and actions you can take to limit your exposure
Enable Registration Lock PIN
Adds an extra layer of security to prevent others from registering your phone number on a new device without your PIN
- Open Signal app
- Go to Settings → Privacy → Registration Lock
- Create a PIN and enable Registration Lock
Review Profile Information
Check what profile name and picture you've set, since this info is visible to your contacts
- Open Signal app
- Tap your profile picture at top left
- Review and edit Profile Name and Profile Picture as needed
Turn Off Contact Discovery
Prevents Signal from scanning your address book to find other Signal users, keeping your contacts more private
- Open Signal app
- Go to Settings → Privacy → Phone Number → Who can find me by my number
- Select 'Nobody'
Disclaimer: The clauses shown above are excerpts from publicly available Terms of Service documents. Ratings and severity levels reflect community and AI assessment, not legal advice, factual claims, or determinations about a company's legality or intent. Clauses marked “VERIFIED” have been confirmed as exact quotes from the source document. Clauses marked “AI-extracted” were identified by AI and may contain errors. Always verify against the original TOS.
Get notified when Signal updates their TOS
We'll email you what changed and what it means
By subscribing, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy.