nonprofit
Signal Foundation
Industry Platforms
A nonprofit privacy-technology group behind Signal Messenger, built around encrypted communications, open-source software, and donor-supported public-interest infrastructure. Signal Foundation scores well because the model leaves more value with stakeholders and it bears more of the costs created by its work, and no current penalty outweighs that structure.
Why this matters: A nonprofit structure can constrain extraction, but governance still matters.
Letter grade A Good Medium confidence (AI) Rubric gcd-rubric-v1
Final Score
55* A - Good
A* Tentative scaffolding score. Not human-checked or final.
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Request verification to have the evidence record checked against primary materials and organization-supplied documents. Verification does not buy a higher score; scores change only when review finds factual errors, omissions, or miscalibration.
Evaluation Overview
A - Good
The score turns mainly on Extraction; no penalty currently dominates the evaluation.
Strengths
- Extraction8/10
- Governance6/10
- Loss-Bearing Fidelity6/7
Penalties
- No penalties applied in this version.
Evidence state
- ConfidenceMedium confidence (AI)
- ThoroughnessDeveloped (AI)
- Linked claims13
- Direct axis claims13
- Coverage11/11
Scoring Axes
| Axis | Score | Why this score |
|---|---|---|
Ownership
?
Control rights: shareholder-dominated at 0, worker cooperative control
at 10.
|
5 / 10 |
Signal Foundation is a nonprofit organization and publishes major Signal code repositories as open source. |
Governance
?
Binding decision authority: centralized control at 0, democratic
stakeholder control at 10.
|
6 / 10 |
Signal Foundation is a nonprofit organization and publishes major Signal code repositories as open source. Linked evidence
|
Extraction
?
Surplus allocation, wage share, CEO pay ratio, margins, and structured
extraction judgment.
|
8 / 10 |
Signal Foundation is a nonprofit organization and publishes major Signal code repositories as open source. Linked evidence
|
Labor Sovereignty
?
Worker power: coercive conditions at 0, co-determination or ownership at
7. Employee dissatisfaction matters only when source-backed evidence
shows concrete limits on worker agency, such as coercive scheduling,
retaliation, wage theft, harassment, unsafe conditions, suppression of
worker voice, or extreme turnover.
|
5 / 7 |
Signal Foundation is a nonprofit organization and publishes major Signal code repositories as open source. Linked evidence
|
Solidarity with the
Unemployed
?
Treatment of exits and nonworkers, including severance, redeployment,
and non-competes.
|
4 / 7 |
Signal Foundation is a nonprofit organization and publishes major Signal code repositories as open source. Linked evidence
|
Loss-Bearing Fidelity
?
Willingness to absorb costs to preserve values, workers, users, and
public obligations.
|
6 / 7 |
Signal Foundation is a nonprofit organization and publishes major Signal code repositories as open source. Linked evidence
|
Market Conduct
?
Pricing fairness, switching costs, lock-in, and rent extraction.
|
5 / 5 |
Signal Foundation presents Signal as nonprofit, privacy-preserving communications infrastructure rather than an advertising or data-brokerage business. Linked evidence
|
Product Integrity
?
Preservation of quality rather than degradation for monetization.
|
5 / 5 |
Signal Foundation presents privacy-preserving communication as its core public mission. |
Scale Integrity
?
Whether growth improves or degrades fairness and accountability.
|
5 / 5 |
Signal Foundation is a nonprofit organization and publishes major Signal code repositories as open source. Linked evidence
|
Penalties
No penalties applied in this version.
Bonus Credits
| Bonus | Credit | Why this credit |
|---|---|---|
Constitutional Spirit
?
Credit for respecting constitutional rights and civil-liberties norms
even where private law does not strictly require it.
|
3 / 3 |
Signal Foundation says it protects free expression and enables secure global communication through open-source privacy technology. Linked evidence
|
Good Deal
?
Credit for unusually fair value: durable quality, fair pricing, low
lock-in, and clear customer surplus.
|
3 / 3 |
Signal makes private communication accessible through nonprofit open-source technology rather than advertising or data brokerage, creating high user value at no direct price. Linked evidence
|
Confidence Basis
Confidence Basis
Confidence is computed from the evidence trail and review state, not typed into the profile by hand.
Medium 79/100
13 verified linked claims 13 direct axis claims 0 disputed claims 11/11 components covered
This confidence label measures the source-backed evidence trail. AI-scaffolded scores remain tentative until human review.
Claim confidence 16/20
13 verified linked claims
Source quality 10/18
Best source per verified claim, weighted by institutional reliability
Direct axis-specific claims 14/18
13 direct claims across 11 active components
Dispute load 12/12
0 disputed claims on this entity
Recency 10/10
Newest accepted timestamp: May 13, 2026
Reviewer status 7/12
Human-reviewed components score higher than AI scaffolding
Component coverage 10/10
11/11 evidence-bearing components have direct support
Evidence State
Evidence State
Profile stateAI draft / human-pending
VerificationUnverified
ConfidenceMedium confidence (AI)
ThoroughnessDeveloped (AI)
Correction routeUse “Challenge this rating” for
factual errors, missing counterevidence, source problems, or calculation
mistakes.
Company responseCompany representatives can
submit source-backed corrections; payment never changes scores or
reviewer authority.
Claims and Sources
Claims are the evidence record. Each claim needs a source link, axis category, status, confidence level, and timestamp before it can support a score.
* Tentative scaffolding score. Not human-checked or final.1Signal Foundation is a nonprofit organization and publishes major Signal code repositories as open source.
- Signal FoundationGeneral web source · 58%
- Signal GitHub organizationGeneral web source · 58%
2Signal Foundation states that it is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit protecting free expression and enabling secure global communication through open-source privacy technology.
- Signal FoundationGeneral web source · 58%
3Signal Foundation presents privacy-preserving communication as its core public mission.
- Signal FoundationGeneral web source · 58%
4Signal Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit parent for Signal Messenger, so governance is mission-constrained but not democratically controlled by users, workers, or message recipients.
- Signal homeGeneral web source · 58%
- Signal FoundationGeneral web source · 58%
- Signal: Privacy is Priceless, but Signal is ExpensiveGeneral web source · 58%
5Signal describes itself as an independent nonprofit and says its model depends on donations rather than advertising or monetizing user data, limiting ordinary platform-surplus extraction.
- Signal homeGeneral web source · 58%
- Signal FoundationGeneral web source · 58%
- Signal: Privacy is Priceless, but Signal is ExpensiveGeneral web source · 58%
6Signal says about half of its operating budget goes toward recruiting, compensating, and retaining the people who build and care for Signal, while the public record does not show worker democratic control.
- Signal homeGeneral web source · 58%
- Signal FoundationGeneral web source · 58%
- Signal: Privacy is Priceless, but Signal is ExpensiveGeneral web source · 58%
7Signal provides free private messaging, voice, video, and file sharing without advertising, making secure communication accessible to people regardless of employment or purchasing power.
- Signal homeGeneral web source · 58%
- Signal FoundationGeneral web source · 58%
- Signal: Privacy is Priceless, but Signal is ExpensiveGeneral web source · 58%
8Signal publicly reports the high cost of operating private communications infrastructure and frames donation funding as the way it absorbs costs without shifting them into surveillance advertising.
- Signal homeGeneral web source · 58%
- Signal FoundationGeneral web source · 58%
- Signal: Privacy is Priceless, but Signal is ExpensiveGeneral web source · 58%
9Signal Foundation presents Signal as nonprofit, privacy-preserving communications infrastructure rather than an advertising or data-brokerage business.
- Signal FoundationGeneral web source · 58%
10Signal Foundation says it is dedicated to making private communication accessible, secure, and ubiquitous, directly provides evidence for the relevant scoring judgment.
- Signal FoundationGeneral web source · 58%
11Signal presents end-to-end encrypted communication and privacy as default product architecture while serving a global user base, so growth is meant to preserve rather than dilute the core privacy function.
- Signal homeGeneral web source · 58%
- Signal FoundationGeneral web source · 58%
- Signal: Privacy is Priceless, but Signal is ExpensiveGeneral web source · 58%
12Signal Foundation says it protects free expression and enables secure global communication through open-source privacy technology.
- Signal FoundationGeneral web source · 58%
13Signal makes private communication accessible through nonprofit open-source technology rather than advertising or data brokerage, creating high user value at no direct price.
- Signal FoundationGeneral web source · 58%
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How This Page Is Maintained
Evidence comes in through contributors, is checked by verifiers, and is synthesized by reviewers. Founder authority remains narrow and visible; scores recalculate when verified claims or the rubric change.
Civic Note
Incorporation, limited liability, market access, and other institutional privileges are public grants. Good Companies Directory treats those privileges as conditional on accountability to workers, users, communities, and the public.
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Audit Log
Recent public changes for this company or group. The full audit log is part of the Transparency record.
Added tentative AI-generated Toxic Products penalty 0 and directory value for current toxic, addictive, pesticide, livestock, chemical, or consumer-safety product exposure.
Added stronger direct source-backed claims for public-interest evaluation quality. Score values were not changed in this pass.