Genasys CONNECT offers a fully compliant and more secure collaboration and communication platform for government and law enforcement use.
By Chief Jeff Halstead (Ret.) / Government technology expert
- The US Government used Signal in a group chat about sensitive military operations
- Signal is not compliant with FOIA and government transparency laws
- Using Genasys CONNECT – a secure and FOIA-compliant collaboration platform – would have prevented the controversy
We all have seen the headlines, media stories, interviews, and of course, the political finger pointing related to our nation’s military leaders using the Signal app and accidentally including a journalist in what was supposed to be a closed, secure communications channel. Like all of you, this incident is embarrassing, concerning, and frustrating to watch…but it was 100% preventable!
I can state this with extreme confidence because 8 years ago, after a 30-year career in law enforcement, retiring as Chief of Police, I partnered with a few brilliant technology engineers and created the most secure, transparent, and highly accountable communications platform for public safety and government. Our goal was to create the most secure and powerful communications platform and increase the transparency and accountability of police agencies and government. We are unmatched in this industry but obviously needed.
Recently, I saw a respected military leader and former Pentagon official make this statement on a national cable news network:
“The fact of the matter is, for many years, we’ve had these types of ‘secure messaging apps’, but yet we’ve not been able to have the government create a usable one for classified communications. And if you want to have an effective military and effective operations, you have to be able to communicate effectively with groups in a secure fashion.”
There is no need for the government to create any technology to share intelligence securely and remain legally compliant; it already exists! Genasys CONNECT.
Let’s be honest about Signal and other consumer apps. They should NOT be used in government. Why? In my police career and especially working in the technology industry the past decade, the Signal app is an encrypted communications platform created so that the user/s can hide or delete their communications. Criminal trial data has shown Signal is often used by drug cartels, Tren de Aragua, human trafficking, and other illicit activities. Is this the platform you want your government using?
Also, an estimated 90% of police departments I meet with have admitted to me that their SWAT teams, gang detectives, and narcotics officers also use the Signal app, which is completely illegal to share CJIS (criminal justice information), and to build probable cause to take police action. Our government and police officers should NOT be on this platform, period.
What our elected officials need is precisely what was summarized by the retired Navy Captain: an encrypted, secure, transparent, and high accountability platform to achieve a multitude of sensitive missions.
Here’s what Genasys CONNECT provides:
- Heavily encrypted messaging from any device to all devices
- Fully owned & controlled by the agency (our company has NO access to data, chats, or information)
- Fortified Team chats where it is impossible for any person to be mistakenly added
- Nothing can be deleted or altered
- Unlimited data sharing, photos, videos, documents
- Screenshot protection
- No push/share features so your secure communications will not be on social platforms
- Any person added to your platform is logged and tracked (they can only be added by sending an encrypted invitation directly to them)
- All data, chats, attachments are owned by the agency (Department of Defense) and can be easily reviewed in about 30 seconds
- It is the most transparent platform, and we expect complete transparency from ALL elected officials (and police agencies)
Our elected leaders should immediately STOP using Signal and any consumer app when they are discussing sensitive military operations, governmental issues, and political missions. Those consumer apps were designed to be non-transparent and unethical. We need to demand full transparency and accountability for those trusted with these positions. Genasys CONNECT provides just that.
Learn more at genasys.com/genasys-connect/ or reach out to me to get your agency using CONNECT, today!
