EU will require Apple to open up iMessage (2022) • Hacker News Board

Re: EU will require Apple to open up iMessage (2022)

#151

Post by rkangel » Thu, Mar 02, 2023, 2:45 PM UTC

codethief wrote: post #145

rkangel wrote: post #121

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The solution I use to minimise this is Element One ( https://element.io/element-one ). This is a paid for service that operates bridges from Matrix to Signal, WhatsApp and Telegram. I then get to communicate with all those contacts in one place (I'm on Android so iMessage not a problem). I signed up the moment it came out and they had some teething reliability problems for a while, but it's been great for months now.…

I assume this means the Element One servers have access to the plaintext of my messages?

They do, and this is a legitimate concern. I thought about it and decided I didn't care so much.

An alternative is to self host the same set of services.

Re: EU will require Apple to open up iMessage (2022)

#152

Post by sva_ » Thu, Mar 02, 2023, 2:46 PM UTC

Raed667 wrote: post #127

There was a brief period of time where I was able to use IRC, Facebook and MSN from the same client: Pidgin https://pidgin.im/

ICQ as well

Re: EU will require Apple to open up iMessage (2022)

#153

Post by rkangel » Thu, Mar 02, 2023, 2:46 PM UTC

raybb wrote: post #137

rkangel wrote: post #121

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The solution I use to minimise this is Element One ( https://element.io/element-one ). This is a paid for service that operates bridges from Matrix to Signal, WhatsApp and Telegram. I then get to communicate with all those contacts in one place (I'm on Android so iMessage not a problem). I signed up the moment it came out and they had some teething reliability problems for a while, but it's been great for months now.…

Does it work with private WhatsApp chats? 1:1s

Yes, it works as you would expect.

Re: EU will require Apple to open up iMessage (2022)

#154

Post by college_physics » Thu, Mar 02, 2023, 2:46 PM UTC

yakireev wrote: post #75

gyy52380 wrote: post #64

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There is no bubble because literally everyone has whatshapp. It's even available on "dumb phones". I've never met anyone of any age who doesn't have it.

Hello there, nice to meet you. Life without Whatsapp is not easy in the Netherlands, but is possible. The "super bubble" exists though, and it sucks. Most problems come from the "literally everyone has whatshapp" crowd like you, by the way, the people who deny the existence of the bubble. Could you please stop making my life harder? No, not "literally everyone" has Whatsapp: I don't. Agreeing to T&C of some foreign c…

Take heart, times are a-changing, even in sophisticated and freedom loving Netherlands. Its been a long oppresive period where the lemming mob would simply bully you: "I don't recognize your concerns, I don't care, I can't be bothered". But nowadays you definitely see some inroads of e.g., Signal.

But its a steep upward slope to climb. Lots of data-siphoning apps are painted on buses or splash on city ad "walls" but whatsapp is actually a permanent fixture of the urban landscape in so-called "neighbourhood watch signs". A creepy dystopic image if there was one.

Re: EU will require Apple to open up iMessage (2022)

#155

Post by ognarb » Thu, Mar 02, 2023, 2:46 PM UTC

In case this interest someone, I attended on Monday a workshop from the eu commission and wrote about it here https://carlschwan.eu/2023/03/02/digital-market-act-workshop...

Re: EU will require Apple to open up iMessage (2022)

#156

Post by ppseafield » Thu, Mar 02, 2023, 2:47 PM UTC

codethief wrote: post #145

rkangel wrote: post #121

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The solution I use to minimise this is Element One ( https://element.io/element-one ). This is a paid for service that operates bridges from Matrix to Signal, WhatsApp and Telegram. I then get to communicate with all those contacts in one place (I'm on Android so iMessage not a problem). I signed up the moment it came out and they had some teething reliability problems for a while, but it's been great for months now.…

I assume this means the Element One servers have access to the plaintext of my messages?

That's correct. It's encrypted in transit, but the endpoint bridges decrypt messages then reencrypt them. IIRC you can run the bridges yourself on your own servers - Element just offers this service as well.

Re: EU will require Apple to open up iMessage (2022)

#157

Post by govg » Thu, Mar 02, 2023, 2:48 PM UTC

amelius wrote: post #115

Meanwhile WhatsApp installs only on one device (phone OR tablet, not both). You can use the web version, but it sucks on a tablet.

They have changed it now. You can have first class clients on both a tablet and a phone. At least, that's how it is on Android (have WhatsApp installed natively on a phone and a tablet, also use it via web client on desktop).

Re: EU will require Apple to open up iMessage (2022)

#158

Post by ognarb » Thu, Mar 02, 2023, 2:48 PM UTC

codethief wrote: post #145

rkangel wrote: post #121

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The solution I use to minimise this is Element One ( https://element.io/element-one ). This is a paid for service that operates bridges from Matrix to Signal, WhatsApp and Telegram. I then get to communicate with all those contacts in one place (I'm on Android so iMessage not a problem). I signed up the moment it came out and they had some teething reliability problems for a while, but it's been great for months now.…

I assume this means the Element One servers have access to the plaintext of my messages?

Yeah, but they are also working on an alternate solution where the bridging happens in the client, which doesn't have this issue.

Re: EU will require Apple to open up iMessage (2022)

#159

Post by Teledhil » Thu, Mar 02, 2023, 2:48 PM UTC

rkangel wrote: post #126

Scubabear68 wrote: post #34

Misleading headline. This affects many apps and is much broader. In fact, this line from the article is far more serious: “Apple, for instance, will also need to contend with a reported requirement to allow side-loading of apps outside of its App Store, something it's spent years fighting internationally”.

And more specifically means that Apple can't prevent you using other Web Browsers etc.

Can't wait to have Firefox + uBlock Origin on iPads.

Re: EU will require Apple to open up iMessage (2022)

#160

Post by brandon272 » Thu, Mar 02, 2023, 2:52 PM UTC

Raed667 wrote: post #127

There was a brief period of time where I was able to use IRC, Facebook and MSN from the same client: Pidgin https://pidgin.im/

I miss this a lot. Trillian and Adium were a couple of other clients that allowed this. It was really nice to have some choice among what client to use.