These programs really entered the public consciousness with the Snowden leaks in 2013. Signal was released in 2014.

TextSecure (which later merged with RedPhone to become Signal) had existed since 2010. So it would be interesting to know if there were many other end-to-end encrypted services and products at the time since this was pre-leaks.

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that_guy_iain 9 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

I only mentioned one program. A program that is literally comparable because it's literally what is being replaced. That program has been public knowledge in media such as TV shows and movies for decades. So when we're fear-mongering, we should only compare with that, and we should see what effects it had and the nonsense being used for fear-mongering.

Also, Signal was released not because of end-to-end encryption but because the founder sold WhatsApp and wasn't happy with the direction.

	▲	ysnp 2 hours ago \| parent \| next [-]
		You're confusing the founding of the Signal Foundation with the release of Signal. Textsecure/Redphone which Signal came from existed in some part around 2010 or thereafter. Their merging and re-release as an all-in-one IP-based encryption app also came before WhatsApp was sold to Facebook.
	▲	fsflover 2 hours ago \| parent \| prev [-]
		> That program has been public knowledge in media such as TV shows and movies for decades. Nobody I know heard about it before Snowden. You need to provide some statistics to demonstrate it was a common knowledge.