I wouldn't overestimate government authorities either. A report on a person of interest crosses the desk of a deputy minister that says the person uses Signal could be enough to get the application blocked in the country.

Elected officials and political appointees demand action on things that are counter to their interests all the time, the people that execute those orders (if they appreciate that the order is counter-productive in the first place) have to decide what measures are worth fighting and which ones are not.