Will Signal Leave Australia? What the Encryption Debate Means for Privacy and Alternatives

This morning over breakfast, I turned on the news to hear that Signal, one of the world’s most respected private messaging apps, may pull out of Australia. Why? Because it refuses to compromise its encryption, even if governments demand it.

Now I want to be up front that I believe in our laws, and I think that ensuring our National security is critical. However, I also believe that proper checks and balances, oversight, warrants, and judicial review should be integral to the process. This situation highlights how delicate that balance is.

So, let’s unpack what’s going on and what it means for you.

What’s Happening with Signal in Australia?

Earlier this week, Signal president Meredith Whittaker said that if the Australian Government forces tech companies to provide access to encrypted messages, Signal will simply leave the country.

That’s not stubbornness, it’s a technical reality. Signal is designed not to store user data or encryption keys. Even if they wanted to comply, they can’t. That’s because they don’t have the means, or ‘keys’, to do so. Whittaker warns that mandating encryption backdoors could:

• Weaken global security
• Create risks for journalists, whistleblowers, and everyday users
• Invite abuse from authoritarian regimes

You can find a more detailed story here: Signal Threatens to Leave Australia – ChannelNews.

This isn’t the first time something like this has happened. The creators of Session, another secure messaging app developed initially in Australia, moved their operations to Switzerland after increasing pressure and an unexpected visit from local law enforcement. You can read about that here: Session Leaves Australia – The Guardian.

What Are the Alternatives If Signal Leaves?

With the ever-increasing number of cybersecurity attacks, data breaches and swathes of personal information being leaked online, you should be looking for practical and privacy-respecting means of communicating.

Here are a few suggestions for you to consider:

Signal

Signal is still regarded as one of the most secure messaging apps in the world. It uses end‑to‑end encryption, collects no metadata, and its open‑source protocol is widely audited and trusted by privacy experts.

That said, Signal may become unavailable in Australia if our laws are enforced in ways that require technical backdoors. Apple’s removal of its Advanced Data Protection (ADP) service choice in the UK underscores the impact of such laws.

In any case, Signal’s leadership has made it clear: they won’t compromise encryption to comply with such requests. So, while it’s still available in Australia, it’s a great pick.

Proton (Mail, Calendar, Drive, VPN, AI)

Whilst not a messenger platform, Proton is a Swiss-based platform offering secure alternatives to Gmail, Google Drive, and others. Everything is end‑to‑end encrypted, and Switzerland’s strong privacy laws govern Proton.

In late 2023, Proton joined a global coalition urging Australia to protect encryption and challenged the original draft of the Online Safety Standards. When the final standards were released in June 2024, the government clarified that companies would not be required to break encryption or implement surveillance backdoors—a position Proton welcomed.

Proton’s Ben Wolford penned an article titled “Australia’s vague anti-encryption law sets a dangerous new precedent“, and it’s worth a read.

As a Proton Partner, I recommend Proton’s services for both personal and business use. Whilst they do offer free plans, they also offer paid options with more features.

Session

Session is a decentralised, anonymous messaging app that doesn’t require a phone number or store metadata. An Australian team developed it, but the organisation relocated operations to Switzerland in 2024, citing privacy concerns and potential legal exposure.

It’s not as feature-rich as Signal, but it does offer strong privacy.

Other Encrypted Platforms

• WhatsApp offers end-to-end encryption by default, but still collects extensive metadata (like who you contact, when, and from where) and is owned by Meta, a company with a mixed reputation on privacy.
• iMessage encrypts messages between Apple devices, but it’s closed-source, meaning its security can’t be independently verified. It also ties you to Apple’s hardware ecosystem.
• Facebook Messenger now supports end-to-end encryption, but it’s optional and not fully rolled out by default across all features. Ultimately, using it requires placing trust in Meta.

While these apps are convenient and widely adopted, they aren’t ideal for sensitive communications or users who prioritise privacy and control over their data.

Closing Thoughts

Australia’s lawmakers need to strike a careful balance: strengthening national security without eroding the fundamental right to privacy. Encrypted platforms like Signal have made their position clear—they won’t compromise their principles. If pushed, they’ll leave.

Exiting the Australian market is no small decision, particularly for companies with commercial interests here. For instance, Apple recently disabled its Advanced Data Protection (end-to-end encryption for iCloud backups) in the UK, rather than pulling out entirely.

This move suggests Apple may have capitulated to a government access request, ultimately making millions of users less secure, to preserve its market access. But as a publicly traded company, Apple has a financial obligation to its shareholders and therein lies the dilemma.

Here in Australia, similar access may already exist, and we’d likely never know, given how current legislation operates. Our laws don’t require transparency when technical capability notices are issued, which is precisely why oversight matters when exercising these powers; not just in Australia but globally.

For privacy-first services, integrity often outweighs commercial interest. But not always.

That’s why the most reliable approach is layered security:

• Use secure platforms like Signal and Proton (while they remain available),
• Pair them with strong digital hygiene, user training, and clear policies around how communications are managed,
• And stay informed about how local laws might affect your data and your tools.

Privacy shouldn’t have to come at the expense of security or accountability, but it does require us to be deliberate, informed, and proactive.