Imagine you’re chatting with your friends on your phone, and suddenly you get added to a group chat that’s meant for top-secret plans! This is exactly what happened to a journalist named Jeffrey Goldberg in the United States.
One day, Jeffrey received a message on an app called Signal, which is like WhatsApp but more secure. He noticed that the message was from someone named Michael Waltz, who is a very important person in the U.S. government.
Then, things got even stranger! Jeffrey was added to a group chat called “Houthi PC Small Group.” The people in this chat were talking about a secret military operation! They were discussing plans to strike against a group called the Houthis in Yemen.
Jeffrey couldn’t believe it! Was this some kind of prank? Or was it real? 😮
As he read the messages, he realized that the officials were sharing very detailed plans about the upcoming strike. They even talked about when and where it would happen!
Later, when the military strike happened just as the messages described, Jeffrey knew that he had accidentally stumbled upon real secret plans.
This was a big problem because important secrets were shared in a way that wasn’t safe. People started asking questions: How could this happen? Why were such important plans being discussed over an app? And how did a journalist end up in the chat?
Many people, including lawmakers and experts, were worried. They said that sharing secrets like this could be dangerous. It could even break some laws.
The government officials tried to explain. They said it was a mistake that Jeffrey was added to the chat and that they are looking into how it happened.
This incident shows how careful we need to be when using technology. Even important people can make mistakes! It’s like accidentally sending a private message to the wrong group chat. But when it involves secret plans, the stakes are much higher!
What do you think? How can people be more careful to keep important information safe? 🤔
Reference(s):
How a U.S. journalist ended up in secret chat on Yemen strike plans
cgtn.com
