Signal Tops Hong Kong Downloads After Fears of China Law Deepen

  • Privacy of foremost concern as Chinese government cracks down
  • The encrypted app surges across iPhones and Android devices
Photographer: Lam Yik/Bloomberg
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Signal has become the most-downloaded app in Hong Kong after Beijing imposed a sweeping national security law on the city that stirred fears of curbs on civil liberties.

The messaging app, endorsed by whistle-blower and privacy advocate Edward Snowden, provides end-to-end encryption to secure messages from being read by a third party as they travel between users. It has topped both Apple Inc.’s and Google’s mobile app stores, according to App Annie data.