Warrant Canary
A periodic signed statement that no secret government order has been received. Missing updates may indicate a gag order — interpret with caution.
A warrant canary exploits an asymmetry: in some jurisdictions a service can be forbidden from saying it received a secret order, but it cannot easily be forced to keep publishing a lie. So the service periodically signs a statement — “as of this date, no secret orders received” — and the signal is the silence when the statement stops.
Why the format is strict
A canary only means something if it is predictable: signed with a known PGP key, published on a fixed schedule, covering a defined scope. A vague or irregular canary carries almost no information, because a missed update is ambiguous — neglect looks exactly like compromise. That ambiguity is the method’s built-in weakness: one bit of signal, easily lost to noise.
What a live canary does not prove
A current canary says nothing about what lies outside its scope: voluntary cooperation, compromise without legal process, or orders the drafters did not anticipate. Courts have rarely tested the device, so its legal force remains uncertain. It is one input among several — alongside key continuity and independent address verification — not a verdict. See also Canary Statement.
Category: Verification