On March 11, The Atlantic’s Editor-in-Chief was inadvertently added to a private chat on the Signal messaging app, in which a discussion was being held concerning an upcoming strike on rebels in Yemen. Jeffrey Goldberg, the editor, said that the first detonations would occur at 1:45 p.m. eastern time. He said, “If this Signal chat was real, I reasoned, Houthi targets would soon be bombed. At about 1:55, I checked X and searched Yemen. Explosions were then being heard across Sanaa, the capital city.” This apparent national security breach, though it enraged many prominent Democratic leaders, was brushed off by President Trump as having “no impact at all” on national affairs or on the Yemen decision.

Though this “glitch” didn’t have a huge impact on the outcome of the strike, it serves as a reminder that things that seem private online can experience breaches. Whatever gets put online is not exclusively private. Especially in national matters, it is so important to be aware of the degree of security that an app or program has.