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Darpa wants to make a better, more secure, version of WhatsApp

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Re: Darpa wants to make a better, more secure, version of WhatsApp

#31
post #5

Isn't that called Signal? Maybe just put the funding into extending that?

I tried signal, much more inferior to WhatsApp in terms of functionality and usability

Really? I fail to see _any_ difference between the two in terms of features.

Re: Darpa wants to make a better, more secure, version of WhatsApp

#32
post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I tried signal, much more inferior to WhatsApp in terms of functionality and usability

How is Signal inferior to WhatsApp "in terms of functionality and usability"?

I had issues with lag and dropped packets when I was calling from Europe to South America with Signal about 6 months ago. I was really cheering for Signal (still am) and had suggested we try it, but it failed quite quickly. We moved the call back to WhatsApp within a minute or two, and had no problems whatsoever. So at least in my mind WhatsApp is still much more reliable.

Re: Darpa wants to make a better, more secure, version of WhatsApp

#33
post #22
post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A few points that I hope dont come off snarky 1) It's open source, so if you can code and have time, you can help. 2) Some small friction adders seem like a small price to pay to not have a facebook product installed on my phone and suck all my metadata down.

You’re right and I agree with you, but as to point 1, they don’t really act like a proper open source project and it seems more like a “source dump” than anything. It’s hard to compile on your own and they don’t like forks connecting to official servers either.

That, and "just go contribute" is really just a cop out answer. Users can desire features without it requiring that they learn to develop software. And really, does anyone want brand new, fresh developers contributing to a privacy-oriented product? Of course not. We need experienced and skilled developers to do that, because mistakes can be costly.

Re: Darpa wants to make a better, more secure, version of WhatsApp

#34
post #5

Isn't that called Signal? Maybe just put the funding into extending that?

I tried signal, much more inferior to WhatsApp in terms of functionality and usability

Yes, because there is an inverse relationship to usability and security. Signal won't add a feature until they can call it entirely vetted and secure.

Re: Darpa wants to make a better, more secure, version of WhatsApp

#35
post #29
post #5

Isn't that called Signal? Maybe just put the funding into extending that?

WhatsApp is Signal under the hood. And as I recall, Moxie helped them set it up.

WhatsApp is Signal Protocol under the hood. That does not make the two equivalent from a security perspective; Signal goes through a lot of extra trouble to protect metadata (note, for instance, how it didn't even really have user profiles until relatively recently).

Re: Darpa wants to make a better, more secure, version of WhatsApp

#36
post #29
post #5

Isn't that called Signal? Maybe just put the funding into extending that?

WhatsApp is Signal under the hood. And as I recall, Moxie helped them set it up.

Not exactly. WhatsApp uses Signal's communication protocol, but has some flaws in the way they implemented it, by design.

https://www.cyberscoop.com/whatsapp-signal-group-chat-vulner...

Re: Darpa wants to make a better, more secure, version of WhatsApp

#37
post #24
post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How is Signal inferior to WhatsApp "in terms of functionality and usability"?

Just a few things: - Signal is a lot less "polished" - FB has spent tons more resources on making a slick streamlined easy to use interface. Even though signal looks similar its missing all the little things. - there is no easy to use backup. Whatsapp can backup to google drive or icloud and restore it on another phone. Signal you have to figure out how to deal with and transfer your backup file[1]. This isn't easy f…

> Whatsapp can backup to google drive or icloud and restore it on another phone.

As long as it's Android to Android or iPhone to iPhone. Oh, and Windows phone backup transfers never worked, not even to another Windows phone.

Re: Darpa wants to make a better, more secure, version of WhatsApp

#38
post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I tried signal, much more inferior to WhatsApp in terms of functionality and usability

How is Signal inferior to WhatsApp "in terms of functionality and usability"?

It has almost none of my contacts on them. Pretty useless as a messenger as such.

Re: Darpa wants to make a better, more secure, version of WhatsApp

#40
post #5

Isn't that called Signal? Maybe just put the funding into extending that?

I tried signal, much more inferior to WhatsApp in terms of functionality and usability

I like Keybase.io - it seems better than Signal and is nice to use.
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