People are joking about Signal alternatives amid FBI investigation

I'm taking my messages to AIM.
 By 
Tim Marcin
 on 
logo for signal app with shiny background
Credit: Beata Zawrzel/NurPhoto via Getty Images

Signal, the privacy-focused messaging platform, is in the news — and not for pleasant reasons.

FBI Director Kash Patel said he had opened an investigation into Signal chats used by Minnesota residents to share information about ICE's movements. Signal offers end-to-end encryption and is often used by folks worried about privacy and cybersecurity. The Trump administration itself used Signal chats to discuss military strikes.

But with the news that the FBI wanted to go after Signal chats, folks joked about what could replace it. Mostly, people joked about returning to super-antiquated or random chat platforms. The jokes were especially popular on Bluesky.


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Deleting Signal now that I know it's compromised. Find me on Facebook Messenger

— Joad The Wet Sprocket (@joadsprocket.bsky.social) January 26, 2026 at 6:02 PM

Deleting Signal now that it's compromised. Find me at first light on the fifth day; at dawn, look to the east.

[image or embed]

— prim ❄️ (@primordial.bsky.social) January 27, 2026 at 9:05 AM

Deleting Signal now that I know it's compromised. Find me with the Dymo label maker.

[image or embed]

— David Brauer (@dbrauer.net) January 27, 2026 at 12:16 AM

Deleting Signal now that I know it’s compromised. Find me on Netscape.

[image or embed]

— 𝚌𝚛𝚢-𝚌𝚛𝚢 𝚑𝚘𝚛𝚜𝚎 (@mandulorian.bsky.social) January 26, 2026 at 7:34 PM

Deleting Signal now that I know it's compromised. Find me on Game FAQs

[image or embed]

— Patrick Lindsey (@patricklindsey.bsky.social) January 26, 2026 at 6:22 PM

If you want to get in touch with me, forget Signal. I'm communicating only through skywriting. Look upward and find me there.

close-up of man's face
Tim Marcin
Associate Editor, Culture

Tim Marcin is an Associate Editor on the culture team at Mashable, where he mostly digs into the weird parts of the internet. You'll also see some coverage of memes, tech, sports, trends, and the occasional hot take. You can find him on Bluesky (sometimes), Instagram (infrequently), or eating Buffalo wings (as often as possible).

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