ArcaMax

The news hook title isn't as crisp as World War II's "Loose Lips Sink Ships." It does send the relevant 21st-century message that digital communication systems have security flaws enemies can exploit to gather critical information.

WWII's brilliant rhyme warned that loose talk in a New York bar could tell Nazi spies where to position U-boats to intercept convoys. My update repeats warnings everyone using a cellphone or email should already know: someone or some device can be monitoring your communications.

This column's obvious news hook is the revelation an anti-Trump magazine editor (The Atlantic's Jeffery Goldberg) was included on a Signal app "chat" where very senior Trump administration leaders and administrators discussed imminent military actions against Yemen's Houthi terrorists -- very sensitive subjects. The vice president, the secretary of defense, the CIA director and national security adviser participated in the chat.

Signal.org says its application's "state-of-the-art end-to-end encryption ... keeps your conversations secure. ... Privacy isn't an optional mode -- it's just the way that Signal works." Download and use it for free.

Experts tell me Signal is good, but hackers can crack anything. Trickery -- email phishing or a corrupt insider -- can install spyware.

However, the Biden administration thought enough of the app to distribute cellphones with Signal. The app makes it easy to conduct a conference call or exchange texts or video. Its security was judged good enough.

On March 25, CIA Director John Ratcliffe told the Senate Intelligence Committee that when he became director, he was given a phone with Signal pre-loaded. He was briefed that Signal was "permissible" for work use, and "That is a practice that preceded the current administration to the Biden administration."

Did the Biden administration discuss sensitive national security information on the phones? Who knows. I doubt Communist Chinese intelligence will tell us.

Did the Biden administration provide the Trump administration with Signal apps that included Goldberg's contact information? A fair question to ask for those demanding a thorough investigation.

Matt Margolis of PJMedia writes, "This has all the hallmarks of a deliberate setup."

I suspect an inadvertent mistake, but Margolis has a point given the corruption we've witnessed in the CIA and FBI. Russia Russia Russia was a hoax.

Though inadvertent, the mistake involved very sensitive national security information. Anytime decision makers discuss pending military operations, the discussion is very sensitive if not officially classified.

But adult question No. 1: Was this a consequential mistake? Adult question No. 2: Was the information release intentional or inadvertent?

The military actions have tactical, operational and strategic consequences. Tactical is specific missions -- basic combat action. Operations link battles to secure a specific objective, in this case stopping Houthi attacks on shipping in the Red Sea. Strategy addresses military and nonmilitary actions at the national level.

Tactical evaluation: U.S. forces hit targets, no U.S. losses in strikes. Operational: Houthi launch sites silenced. For how long? To be determined.

Strategic consequences? Maybe not. But leak summaries indicate Trump's advisers can freely and thoughtfully disagree and discuss.

Overall, the leak didn't compromise the operation.

In Senate testimony, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard stressed the difference between inadvertent leaks and malicious release.

The legal and moral differences between an intentional breach of security procedures versus an unintentional breach are huge, and justifiably so.

I carried a Top Secret clearance for three decades. I understand the system we have in place to protect national security information. The system has inadequacies, but there are commonsense procedures for dealing with mistakes. The system exists for a reason: the world is a dangerous place. Freedom is precious and fragile, and protecting it requires keeping secrets.

Signalgate is/was a mistake. A destructive mistake? No. It may simply be an accidental leak to media. But it must be thoroughly investigated, and that includes public testimony from Mr. Goldberg -- under oath so he risks perjury charges.

Other actions: ban Signal, a Biden administration holdover. Use secure commo systems, even if they are clunky and inconvenient.

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To find out more about Austin Bay and read features by other Creators writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate webpage at www.creators.com.

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