New Delhi, Nov 17 (IANS): Encrypted messaging platform Signal spends around $14 million per year on infrastructure to run the private messaging service and $19 million more per year on staff costs -- spending a total of $33 million to keep the operations running for its users with safety in place.

The company revealed the costs associated with running its operations annually, saying in order to provide a genuinely useful alternative, Signal spends tens of millions of dollars every year.

“We estimate that by 2025, Signal will require approximately $50 million dollars a year to operate — and this is very lean compared to other popular messaging apps that don’t respect your privacy,” the company said in a blog post.

“Instead of monetizing surveillance, we’re supported by donations, including a generous initial loan from Brian Acton (co-founder of WhatsApp). Our goal is to move as close as possible to becoming fully supported by small donors, relying on a large number of modest contributions from people who care about Signal,” it added.

The company said it is the safest form of funding in terms of sustainability, “ensuring that we remain accountable to the people who use Signal, avoiding any single point of funding failure, and rejecting the widespread practice of monetizing surveillance.”

The encrypted messaging platform Signal is currently testing usernames for accounts so people don’t need to share their phone numbers to connect on the app.

An official release is planned for early 2024, according to Signal president Meredith Whittaker.