Encrypted messaging app Signal hit by brief outage

First launched in 2014, Signal saw a surge in downloads earlier this year after Facebook-owned messaging service WhatsApp tweaked its terms of service and sparked privacy concerns. — Photo by Adem AY on Unsplash

SAN FRANCISCO: Encrypted instant messaging app Signal was hit by a brief outage late Sunday that interrupted services on the platform at the same time as localised interruptions on other social media services.

Signal blamed hosting issues for the disruption, which Internet outage monitor DownDetector said began at 11.05pm Eastern Standard Time (0305 GMT), citing user reports.