Signal Hardened Setup for Adult-Tourism Privacy

Signal is the standard encrypted messenger for adult-tourism communication. Hardened setup maximises privacy beyond defaults.

Installation and account

1. Download Signal from the official source (signal.org direct or App Store/Play Store).
2. Register with a phone number you don't use elsewhere — a secondary line, eSIM, or app-based number (Google Voice US, Mint UK eSIM, etc.).
3. Set a registration lock (Settings → Privacy → Registration Lock) — prevents anyone re-registering with your number.

Privacy settings

1. Settings → Privacy → Screen Lock — enable biometric or passphrase lock.
2. Settings → Privacy → Screen Security — enable (prevents screenshots on Android; iOS partial).
3. Settings → Privacy → Read Receipts — disable if needed.
4. Settings → Privacy → Typing Indicators — disable.
5. Settings → Privacy → Disappearing Messages → Default Timer — set to 24 hours or 1 week as default for new chats.

Per-chat hardening

1. Open conversation → tap name → Disappearing Messages → set per-chat timer.
2. For specific sensitive chats, use 1-hour or 5-minute timers.

Backup considerations

1. Signal backup encrypts locally — store the passphrase in a password manager.
2. iCloud / Google Drive don't auto-backup Signal messages — this is by design for privacy.
3. Periodic local backup if device-loss is a concern.

What Signal protects against

• Network surveillance — end-to-end encryption.
• Server compromise — Signal doesn't store messages.
• Device loss with screen lock — encrypted on device.

What Signal doesn't protect against

• Compromised endpoint — if your phone is malware-infected, messages are visible.
• Voluntary disclosure — recipients can screenshot.
• Subpoenas to provider for metadata — Signal has minimal metadata.