‘There isn’t really another choice:’ Signal chief explains why the encrypted messenger relies on AWS

After past week’s major Amazon Web Services (AWS) outage took Signal on with it, Elon Musk was quick to criticize the encrypted messaging app’s reliance connected large tech. But Signal president Meredith Whittaker argues that the institution didn’t person immoderate different prime but to usage AWS oregon different large unreality provider.

“The occupation present is not that Signal ‘chose’ to tally connected AWS,” Whittaker writes successful a bid of posts connected Bluesky. “The occupation is the attraction of powerfulness successful the infrastructure abstraction that means determination isn’t truly different choice: the full stack, practically speaking, is owned by 3-4 players.”

In the thread, Whittaker says the fig of radical who didn’t recognize Signal uses AWS is “concerning,” arsenic it indicates they aren’t alert of conscionable however concentrated the unreality infrastructure manufacture is. “The question isn’t ‘why does Signal usage AWS?’” Whittaker writes. “It’s to look astatine the infrastructural requirements of immoderate global, real-time, wide comms level and inquire however it is that we got to a spot wherever there’s nary realistic alternate to AWS and the different hyperscalers.”

Whittaker notes that AWS, Microsoft Azure, and Google’s unreality services are the lone viable options that Signal tin usage to supply reliable work connected a planetary standard without spending billions of dollars to physique its own. “Running a low-latency level for instant comms susceptible of carrying millions of concurrent audio/video calls requires a pre-built, planet-spanning web of compute, retention and borderline beingness that requires changeless maintenance, important energy and persistent attraction and monitoring,” Whittaker says.

She adds that Signal lone “partly” runs connected AWS and uses encryption to guarantee Signal and AWS can’t spot your conversations. Signal was acold from the lone institution affected by the AWS outage, as it besides brought down Starbucks, the Epic Games Store, Ring doorbells, Snapchat, Alexa devices, and adjacent astute beds.

“My metallic lining anticipation is that AWS going down tin beryllium a learning moment, successful which the risks of concentrating the tense strategy of our satellite successful the hands of a fewer players go precise clear,” Whittaker writes.