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Disappearing messages for Signal

whispersystems.org

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Re: Disappearing messages for Signal

#3

I'm not sure that this is a benefit. It gives users a false sense of security. Screenshots or pictures can always be taken on the other end. Didn't signal used to be explicitly against this feature.

"Disappearing messages are a way for you and your friends to keep your message history tidy. They are a collaborative feature for conversations where all participants want to automate minimalist data hygiene, not for situations where your contact is your adversary — after all, if someone who receives a disappearing message really wants a record of it, they can always use another camera to take a photo of the screen before the message disappears."

Re: Disappearing messages for Signal

#7
post #3

I'm not sure that this is a benefit. It gives users a false sense of security. Screenshots or pictures can always be taken on the other end. Didn't signal used to be explicitly against this feature.

"Disappearing messages are a way for you and your friends to keep your message history tidy. They are a collaborative feature for conversations where all participants want to automate minimalist data hygiene, not for situations where your contact is your adversary — after all, if someone who receives a disappearing message really wants a record of it, they can always use another camera to take a photo of the screen b…

This should be strictly a recipient controlled option, only affecting the recipient's view then. Anything else is still a misleading UX for the sender, and assumes people read the fine print. They don't.

Re: Disappearing messages for Signal

#8
post #7
post #3

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"Disappearing messages are a way for you and your friends to keep your message history tidy. They are a collaborative feature for conversations where all participants want to automate minimalist data hygiene, not for situations where your contact is your adversary — after all, if someone who receives a disappearing message really wants a record of it, they can always use another camera to take a photo of the screen b…

This should be strictly a recipient controlled option, only affecting the recipient's view then. Anything else is still a misleading UX for the sender, and assumes people read the fine print. They don't.

If you want a recipient controlled option that already exists as you can set the number of messages you want to save before old ones are deleted.

Not deleting the messages from the senders view just to teach users a lesson about security doesn't make any sense and would just confuse people. Showing a warning about it still being possible to take a picture of the phone with another camera would make more sense but seems a bit silly.

Re: Disappearing messages for Signal

#9

I'm not sure that this is a benefit. It gives users a false sense of security. Screenshots or pictures can always be taken on the other end. Didn't signal used to be explicitly against this feature.

If their sense is that -- after configuring 1 week self destruct, the people they're talking to likely won't be keeping months and months of chat logs on their phone anymore -- it's a very true sense of security.

Re: Disappearing messages for Signal

#10
post #5

With all due respect, Open Whisper Systems might ought first consider fixing Signal's multiplicate message problem, especially silent (to the sender) group chat spamming.

As a Signal user, I've experienced this issue as well. I work around it by deleting the message, then re-sending it, but that's clunky.
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