Axios: House Democrat introduces bill to criminalize sharing classified info on messaging apps

Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-N.Y.) is introducing new legislation that would make it a crime, punishable by up to five years in prison, for government officials to share classified information through unsecured messaging apps like Signal.

This marks the first direct legislative response to the recent controversy surrounding the Trump administration’s use of Signal to discuss sensitive military operations, Caliber.Az reports.

The bill, which Torres outlined in a phone interview with Axios, aims to close a loophole in the Espionage Act by explicitly prohibiting the transmission of classified information via insecure channels.

"I'm introducing legislation that would make it a crime for government officials to put sensitive information like war plans on an insecure messaging app," he said.

Torres emphasized that the legislation would extend to all forms of communication deemed insecure, with Signal specifically mentioned due to its vulnerabilities to phishing attacks.

The push for the bill follows revelations that several top Trump administration officials participated in a Signal chat with The Atlantic editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg, where they discussed details of military strikes in Yemen. Goldberg has publicly stated that the conversation included sensitive information such as the timing, locations, and targets of the attacks on Houthi rebels, as well as the identity of an undercover CIA agent.

Despite the controversy, several officials involved in the chat have denied that any classified information was shared. However, Goldberg’s account of the discussion has fueled concerns about the security of encrypted messaging apps for handling sensitive government information.

Torres, who is still drafting the bill, explained that it would impose significant penalties for those found guilty of sharing classified material through these unsecured platforms, with fines of up to $250,000 in addition to prison time.

The introduction of this bill comes at a time when lawmakers are becoming increasingly cautious about their use of Signal for sensitive or private discussions. Some members of the House have already begun to limit their use of the app, while others have reevaluated their communication practices in light of security concerns.

In response to the criticism, Signal has defended its encryption, stating that there is "not a flaw in our encryption or any of Signal's underlying technology." The company noted, however, that phishing attacks are an ongoing threat for many popular apps and websites.

By Vugar Khalilov