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Signal app downloads spike as US protesters seek message encryption

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Re: Signal app downloads spike as US protesters seek message encryption

#291

Post by rconti »

fauigerzigerk wrote: post #191
lorenzhs wrote: post #152

Earlier quoted context omitted.

When did you last try it? Startup speed of Signal-Desktop has been much improved in recent months, like, by an order of magnitude. Maybe give it another shot.

It opens pretty quickly for me, but almost every time it wants to be re-linked to a mobile device. Signal is really annoying with all the things it wants me to do. Re-linking a mobile device. Re-entering a PIN/password for no reason other than to prove that I still know the password. And when I'm finally logged in it shows me a completely useless selection of mostly obsolete contacts.

I feel like I'm constantly re-linking machines. I have 4 computers I use regularly, so it's a hassle. I can't say for sure if it's been a month since I last opened the app-- maybe a week or two, sure.

Re: Signal app downloads spike as US protesters seek message encryption

#292

Post by driverdan »

RL_Quine wrote: post #13
senectus1 wrote: post #3

Earlier quoted context omitted.

will only happen if phone manufactures ship them by default rather than the unsecure by default ones they ship atm. Sounds crazy when I say it outloud...

iMessage is end to end encrypted by default. Perhaps not as strongly, but it's a good default to begin with.

Regardless of its security features it's Apple device only which is a deal breaker.

Re: Signal app downloads spike as US protesters seek message encryption

#293

Post by salex89 »

I actually like Signal, and would use it a lot more, but don't because of one feature - link previews. I understand the technical reasoning why are they so slow to adopt it, but I (and a group of people I communicate on a daily basis) would probably accept even a half-baked solution like the one on WhatsApp.

Re: Signal app downloads spike as US protesters seek message encryption

#294

Post by oblio »

salex89 wrote: post #293

I actually like Signal, and would use it a lot more, but don't because of one feature - link previews. I understand the technical reasoning why are they so slow to adopt it, but I (and a group of people I communicate on a daily basis) would probably accept even a half-baked solution like the one on WhatsApp.

Why do you find WhatsApp's solution half baked?

Re: Signal app downloads spike as US protesters seek message encryption

#295

Post by ardy42 »

grandinj wrote: post #262

The thing about using these kinds of tools (IMO) is that it is effectively a giant flag waving at the NSA saying "hey: over here, I'm doing something worth keeping a close eye on!" And once they get sufficiently interested, they can crack pretty much anything the market can come up with. So if you're trying to hide stuff - old school is probably best, innocuous code-word language stuff, keep communication to a minimu…

> The thing about using these kinds of tools (IMO) is that it is effectively a giant flag waving at the NSA saying "hey: over here, I'm doing something worth keeping a close eye on!"

That's why I use Signal to chat with my wife and parents, and pretty much no one else. Secure apps need to become mundane so they don't draw attention, so I prioritize using them for mundane things.

Re: Signal app downloads spike as US protesters seek message encryption

#296

Post by sigmar »

sadfklsjlkjwt wrote: post #243
colordrops wrote: post #93

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The source code is available.

Unless the build is reproducible it would be smart for a paranoid person to use the published source code only as a comparison with the decompiled app.

The build is reproducible: https://github.com/signalapp/Signal-Android/blob/master/Repr...

Re: Signal app downloads spike as US protesters seek message encryption

#297

Post by mindslight »

hjek wrote: post #220
soziawa wrote: post #140

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The point made by the parent commenter was that you can join any group (if you get someone to invite you) related to a certain topic and get the phone numbers of everyone in that group. I am not sure about the situation in the US, but in Europe almost all phone numbers are directly linked to a certain person and address by the provider.

> The point One of the points which, yes, I agree with, but I mainly responded to this: > I can add phone numbers by enumeration into my contacts and Signal will show who among my contacts is on it.\ > I am not sure about the situation in the US, but in Europe almost all phone numbers are directly linked to a certain person and address by the provider. Or you can go to a corner shop and buy a Lyca or Lebara SIM with…

> Or you can go to a corner shop and buy a Lyca or Lebara SIM with cash.

Which is still a stable identifier that other people know you by, so you will likely keep it a long time and amass a trail of location data. Also its trivial to tie to the IMEI, so if you actually want to change nyms you have to buy a new phone as well.

Everything about the legacy phone system is a liability. Contact discovery is difficult, but tying into phone numbers should be optional and only for the duration of setting up a contact. Using phone numbers for long-lived identifiers is insane.

Re: Signal app downloads spike as US protesters seek message encryption

#298

Post by Vinnl »

atoav wrote: post #50
enraged_camel wrote: post #37

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I would ditch WhatsApp in a heartbeat if Signal had a browser client.

In my opinion Desktop Clients > Browser Clients when it comes to messengers. If you have more than ten tabs open it is annoying to always have to switch tabs or break out a window. Having a desktop application that remembers where you want to save stuff people send you is a plus too.

I don't know if many people here don't know about the feature, but most browsers support pinning of tabs makes this relatively easy (especially in combination with Alt+ for switching to tab from the left-hand side): https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/pinned-tabs-keep-favori...

Re: Signal app downloads spike as US protesters seek message encryption

#299

Post by ardy42 »

LongHalloween wrote: post #217

Has anyone here successfully convinced their non-techie friends to switch to Signal? How have you done it? I've been trying on and off with my closest friends, but no luck.

> Has anyone here successfully convinced their non-techie friends to switch to Signal? How have you done it? I've been trying on and off with my closest friends, but no luck.

I've gotten my girlfriend (now wife) and parents to switch. My siblings use it sporadically, but I think mostly to talk to me.

Re: Signal app downloads spike as US protesters seek message encryption

#300

Post by pacemkr »

salex89 wrote: post #293

I actually like Signal, and would use it a lot more, but don't because of one feature - link previews. I understand the technical reasoning why are they so slow to adopt it, but I (and a group of people I communicate on a daily basis) would probably accept even a half-baked solution like the one on WhatsApp.

You want your encrypted chat application to emit DNS queries to your ISP. As another Signal user, I do not want that. Nor do I want the bloat of this and other features that will make the core functionality worse. Next we'll want Memoji's and animated drawings and fireworks.

My point is, there is already an app for that. Signal has a completely different purpose.

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