Free Republic

The encrypted-messaging service Signal is the application of choice for dissenters around the world. The app has been downloaded by more than 100 million users and boasts high-profile endorsements from NSA leaker Edward Snowden and serial entrepreneur Elon Musk. Signal has created the perception that its users, including political dissidents, can communicate with one another without fear of government interception or persecution. But the insider history of Signal raises questions about the app’s origins and its relationship with government—in particular, with the American intelligence apparatus. Such a relationship would be troubling, given how much we have learned, in recent years,...

As the criminal trial of two So Cal Antifa members goes into its third week, the public is learning about how one of the notorious Antifa groups organizes and carries out violence against targets. Jeremy Jonathan White, 41, and Brian Cortez Lightfoot Jr., 27, both of Los Angeles, are accused of carrying out violent attacks on supporters of former President Donald Trump in a felony conspiracy—the first time Antifa suspects have been charged with such a serious felony accusation anywhere in the US. Nine of their co-defendant comrades have already been convicted in plea deals, including Luis Francisco Mora, 32,...

A team of astronomers says they have detected a never-before-heard radio signal that offers insights into the mystery of uncharted deep space. This signal is known as a Fast Radio Burst (FRB), a bright flash of radio light lasting for a few milliseconds and originating from beyond the Milky Way. Some FRBs repeat themselves, and a new study published in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society has shed new light. The study has detected a highly active repeating FRB signal behaving differently than anything previously detected. "This work is exciting because it provides both confirmation of known FRB...

@Sprinter99800 Tucker Carlson was called to Washington because of a possible interview with Putin. Former Fox News host Tucker Carlson said the US National Security Agency hacked into his Signal account and read correspondence about a planned interview with Russian President Vladimir Putin. According to the presenter, he received a call and was summoned to Washington to clarify the situation. When he arrived, the question was asked if he was planning a trip to meet with Putin. “How did you know, I didn’t tell anyone. Not at all. Not to my brother, not to my wife, not to anyone at...

Wifi signal pretty poor in camper

I formed a Neighborhood Watch group and now need a messaging app. The police rep. mentioned WhatsApp but supposedly some people are moving away from it to Signal. Not knowing anything about social media I need some advice, our group already has Facebook which I don't have, don't do, and can't even seem to get, and someone else handles that Facebook account and it isn't used much by them I'm told. My first instinct is to use Signal, but I'm really in the dark about these things and once I sign-up someone else will be doing the mass communications on...

Is there an inexpensive way to determine if poor over-the-air TV reception is due to weak signal strength vs. multipath reflections? I am trying to troubleshoot a problem with degraded OTA TV reception that has not responded to installing new cable and connectors. The antenna is fairly new and in good condition.

One day after the search at Trump’s home, the FBI has taken the personal cell phone of Rep. Scott Perry, a Republican from Pennsylvania. Rep. Perry gave an exclusive statement to Fox News about what happened.“This morning, while traveling with my family, 3 FBI agents visited me and seized my cell phone. They made no attempt to contact my lawyer, who would have made arrangements for them to have my phone if that was their wish. I’m outraged — though not surprised — that the FBI under the direction of Merrick Garland’s DOJ, would seize the phone of a sitting...

The Justice Department has unsealed a major indictment charging the leader of the Oath Keepers militia group along with multiple other members with seditious conspiracy related to their alleged coordination in advance of the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol. This marks the Justice Department's first Jan. 6 indictment using the seditious conspiracy charge, which accuses Oath Keepers leader Stewart Rhodes and other members of the group of conspiring to "to oppose by force the execution of the laws governing the transfer of presidential power" from former President Donald Trump to President Joe Biden.

As one of Japan’s most active volcanoes, Sakurajima often dazzles with spectacular displays of volcanic lightning set against an ash-filled sky. But the volcano can also produce much smaller, invisible bursts of electrical activity that mystify and intrigue scientists. Now, an analysis of 97 explosions at Sakurajima from June 2015 is helping to show when eruptions produce visible lightning strokes versus when they produce the mysterious, unseen surges of electrical activity, researchers report in the June 16 Geophysical Research Letters. These invisible bursts, called vent discharges, happen early in eruptions, which could allow scientists to figure out ways to use...

What do you guys suggest as an alternative to Gmail? Looking for a good, solid, reliable email provider that is not interested in censoring people or hurting the USA.

I have a home network consisting of my main router (wifiMain) and 2 additional routers connected as access points (WifiHome & WifiOffice). Both access points are wired into the main router. However, I have the access points named with a separate name (WifiHome & WifiOffice). When I travel to different parts of my house I have to manually connect to the one with the strongest signal. If I name all 3 of them the same, will I stay connected without having to reconnect to the appropriate one? In other words, will I stay connected regardless of where I am in...

Signal App is the latest alternative app to crash on Friday.Signal is the latest app struggling to keep up with the massive growth they are experiencing.If you’re wondering why signal is down, might have something to do with their installs increasing from 10 million to 50 million since jan 12 https://t.co/7PCwnp1uel— Ken Klippenstein (@kenklippenstein) January 15, 2021Signal posted about their struggles on Twitter. We have been adding new servers and extra capacity at a record pace every single day this week nonstop, but today exceeded even our most optimistic projections. Millions upon millions of new users are sending a message...

WhatsApp is making a huge change to its privacy policy from February 8 The change affects the way WhatsApp allows businesses to communicate Users cannot opt out and will lose access to their accounts if they don't agree There is a separate privacy policy for WhatsApp users in Europe and the UK Following the news, many users have jumped shipped to rival messaging apps, including Telegram and Signal ================================================================= Millions of WhatsApp users have taken the drastic step of abandoning the app ahead of a privacy policy update that will force them to share their data with Facebook. The update,...

Billionaire CEO of Tesla and SpaceX told 42 million Twitter followers: “Use Signal” -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Elon Musk, the billionaire CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, gave his 42 million Twitter followers a two-word directive last Thursday: “Use Signal.” Use Signal — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 7, 2021 Looking to get ahead of the game, investors bought up shares of Signal Advance Inc., a small Texas-based company that manufactures devices used to diagnose health issues. “The company’s stock, traded over the counter, spiked to $3.76 on the day of Musk’s tweet from 60 cents the day before,” the New York Post reported. “The...

Parler, the alternative social network that has been accused of hosting many of the discussions related to last Wednesday’s Capitol insurrection, is currently offline after it was removed from Apple and Google’s app stores, and also had its web hosting pulled by Amazon Web Services.

In the first week of January, Telegram surpassed 500 million monthly active users. After that it kept growing: 25 million new users joined Telegram in the last 72 hours alone. These new users came from across the globe – 38% from Asia, 27% from Europe, 21% from Latin America and 8% from MENA. This is a significant increase compared to last year, when 1.5M new users signed up every day. We've had surges of downloads before, throughout our 7-year history of protecting user privacy. But this time is different. People no longer want to exchange their privacy for free services....

Cert Denied.

Tech CEO Elon Musk has urged his almost 42 million Twitter followers to use secure messaging app Signal instead of Facebook products. In a series of tweets, Musk shared a meme referencing Facebook’s role in the spread of misinformation leading to the attack on Congress this week and suggested people should use the Signal app. The tweets seem to have been prompted by a recent change to Facebook’s privacy policy. As reported by The Hacker News, the new updates allow more sharing of data between Facebook and its partner company WhatsApp, including the sharing of phone numbers, interactions on the...

Tesla's momentum and back-to-back record highs have divided some of the world's most famous investors. Billionaire venture capitalist Chamath Palihapitiya praised the stock's gains in a Thursday appearance on CNBC, telling investors the stock could be worth three times its already lofty valuation. "Don't sell a share," he added. Hedge fund manager Michael Burry - whose bet against the housing market was depicted in the novel and 2015 film "The Big Short" - aired his contrasting opinion Thursday night. The investor tweeted that, like his famous 2008 gambit, his short position in Tesla stands to print huge gains. "Well, my...