I've done my research. Whatsapp has encrypted chats by default, Telegram doesn't. Also Whatsapp UX is much simpler and I value simplicity. Telegram is starting to look like a spaceship with so many features.
> I've done my research. Whatsapp has encrypted chats by default, Telegram doesn't. Telegram has encrypted chats by default, just not E2E-encrypted.
What does it mean that they're encrypted, but not E2E? That means the chats are MITM'd by the company, no? If you're talking about HTTPS, that's an incredibly low bar.
A growing number of people and organizations are starting to choose Telegram over Slack. This became prevalent in the blockchain space where pretty much everyone prefers Telegram to other messaging apps. OTC brokers, quant funds, and the largest exchanges use Telegram in some capacity, some almost exclusively. Since the official Telegram clients are open source and the org encourages open competition between third pa…
Do you have a source for their blockchain being launched EOY? I've been following their blockchain project since the whitepaper, and they've been quietly missing their launch goals by many quarters... I think Telegram has a unique position to combat Facebook's Libra.
Good question. I don't have any sources on hand, but I've heard whispers that they should launch by end of Oct. We'll see where they land then.
I always heard that telegram encryption was disabled by default. If you want security use signal, if you wants stickers and the like, use telegram.
Telegram is still a step up from what most people use (Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp). And if you really want a chat to be secure it's easy to set one up. I find it to be a perfect blend of security and usability. Saying it's only good for stickers is pretty disingenuous
Seeing that WhatsApp is using the signal protocol and encrypts all communications by default, I contest the notion that Telegram with its home-grown protocol and clear text by default is a step up.
WhatsApp vs Telegram E2E encryption seems to be a hot topic here, so I’m not sure in which subthread to ask. The question is how WhatsApp is E2E by default, if I can open a browser, read the QR-code and see all my E2E chats in there instantly? WA either has them unencrypted or can see my phone’s secret key in transit. Isn’t the whole point of END to END messaging being undecipherable on devices other than these two?…
> Isn’t the whole point of END to END messaging being undecipherable on devices other than these two? That’s how it should be. WhatsApp’s desktop apps are technically another front-end to your secured database on your phone. I’m searching for the tweet of one of iOS security researcher that confirmed this. That’s also the reason that your WhatsApp desktop client stops working when you are out of range. That’s being s…
I think what you observed is just some smart caching behavior and application code expecting frequent network issues. I can read already synchronized messages and queue messages for being sent on reconnect. I dont see why this would change anything with their encryption scheme...
WhatsApp vs Telegram E2E encryption seems to be a hot topic here, so I’m not sure in which subthread to ask. The question is how WhatsApp is E2E by default, if I can open a browser, read the QR-code and see all my E2E chats in there instantly? WA either has them unencrypted or can see my phone’s secret key in transit. Isn’t the whole point of END to END messaging being undecipherable on devices other than these two?…
I always heard that telegram encryption was disabled by default. If you want security use signal, if you wants stickers and the like, use telegram.
This kind of oversimplification and hyperbole with an attitude is what I dislike in such conversations. Telegram is far, far better in speed, reliability, features and UX than Signal has been and is. Signal cannot even get messages delivered reliably as of today and has a whole bunch of UX issues that aren't addressed (two examples among many: can't restore conversations to a new device on iOS, and can't join past conversations and groups on a new device without going through some additional steps and still struggling to get it working). I appreciate that Signal (team invented and) uses reputed E2E, but there's a whole lot more to communicating with other people than security alone.
WhatsApp vs Telegram E2E encryption seems to be a hot topic here, so I’m not sure in which subthread to ask. The question is how WhatsApp is E2E by default, if I can open a browser, read the QR-code and see all my E2E chats in there instantly? WA either has them unencrypted or can see my phone’s secret key in transit. Isn’t the whole point of END to END messaging being undecipherable on devices other than these two?…
If anyone has led you to believe that E2E means one specific device to another specific device at all times, they don't know what they're talking about.
There are different ways keys can be exchanged between devices (of the same user). All of them are E2E and secure. WhatsApp forces you to keep the phone around because the phone is the conduit for all communication even when you use it on the desktop. Signal has a desktop client that you need to link once to your phone, and works as a standalone client even when your phone is not around. Wire has E2E by default (like WhatsApp and Signal) and message synchronization across devices and platforms.
"I really like Telegram. It being a secure messenger would make it perfect". I'm not really snarking at you; a lot of things would be better if they were also secure messengers; Slack is an obvious example.
There’s a pretty clear distinction between slack and telegram - telegram offers a secure messenger channel with private messages. Slack does not do this, and publicly does not plan on doing this. The parent comment is requesting that an existing feature be switched on as default and not introduce a whole change in the communication layer of the app. Unfortunately you then lose syncing across devices, so I understand…
Syncing across devices doesn't have to be lost just because E2E is adopted. Wire has been doing E2E chats and group chats by default (there is no non-E2E) and synchronizing chats across devices for years now.
It's just a matter of how an application has been architected and how to transition a large platform for such an addition. Neither of these are easy to change/do with Telegram's current scale. Telegram also prides itself in very fast searches since it stores messages in plaintext on its servers.
It's not like it's technically impossible for Telegram to transition to E2E as the default and only way to communicate (similar to Signal, WhatsApp and Wire).
Boggles my mind how WhatsApp is still a more popular messenger than Telegram by a long shot. Talk about network effects and people not doing their research. Or not caring about UX.
I mean, your choice is between an app owned by Facebook or an app owned by the creators of the largest social network in Russia. I'm surprised more aren't using Signal, open source, and I believe funded by a non-profit organization. With founders that are known to care about organizational transparency and user privacy.
The Telegram founder is hated by the Russian government, and does not live in Russia. There have been some futile attempts to block Telegram in Russia.
Signal may be open source, but it's still as centralized as Telegram is. Signal.org will never federate with other servers running Signal (this is the official position). Signal also lags behind a lot in UX and convenience, when compared to Wire or Telegram.
Telegram can be built locally too, and there are independent apps for it, and they have taken efforts within the security community to prove that it is secure.
Can you build and run the server locally?
You may be able to run Signal server from your build, but you won't be able to talk to users on Signal.org. Signal's official position is that it will never federate with others. So I don't understand how building and running a server locally is a step up in any way.
Boggles my mind how WhatsApp is still a more popular messenger than Telegram by a long shot. Talk about network effects and people not doing their research. Or not caring about UX.
Taking to my friends who are heavy WhatsApp users it's less about text chatting and more about voice chat over data because it's far cheaper per minute than crossing the PSTN.
All these apps have voice calling, including Telegram.