Encrypted Signal app downloads skyrocket amidst nationwide protests

When the police state comes knocking, a little bit of privacy goes a long way. 

As peaceful protesters across the nation are repeatedly brutalized by law enforcement, people have turned in record numbers to the encrypted messaging app Signal to protect their conversations. The app, which is free, open source, and run by a nonprofit, has seen huge spikes in downloads over the course of the past week. 

Apptopia, a service that monitors app downloads, told Mashable on Monday that Signal was downloaded 37,000 times this past weekend — a record. What's more, according to Recode, data from both App Annie and Apptopia show the spike in downloads didn't slow down.  Read more...