Live data from Hacker News

Government orders GitHub to remove Bluetooth-based chat app Bitchat: Jack Dorsey

thehindu.com

51–60 of 476 posts

Re: Government orders GitHub to remove Bluetooth-based chat app Bitchat: Jack Dorsey

#51

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Reminds me of Elon's answer to the question of what various countries can do about StarLink: "They can shake their fists at the sky."

Starlink can be jammed.

It would be easier to shoot it out of the sky than try and jam a whole country from starlink

Re: Government orders GitHub to remove Bluetooth-based chat app Bitchat: Jack Dorsey

#52

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Reminds me of Elon's answer to the question of what various countries can do about StarLink: "They can shake their fists at the sky."

Starlink can be jammed.

Jamming can be defeated quite funnily, by digging a pit and putting the antenna at the bottom of it.

Re: Government orders GitHub to remove Bluetooth-based chat app Bitchat: Jack Dorsey

#53
post #38
post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The poster you're answering to just described what happens.

Not for diversions necessarily. Diversion versus expected connection should at least help one’s lawyers… hopefully.

Lawyers can get you out of jail, but you need to be pretty rich for your lawyers to prevent going to jail in the first place.

Re: Government orders GitHub to remove Bluetooth-based chat app Bitchat: Jack Dorsey

#54
post #42

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Literally any encrypted mesh net communication protocol would be subject to the same propaganda. The point of this stuff is providing checks and balances for the people against a rogue government, or emergency situation. Yeah, did you know criminals can use roads to commit crimes, too? We should destroy all of the roads. Terrorists also use food to give them energy to commit more terrorism, so we should start regulat…

Honestly no idea what I’d do if I were in government. Originally you’d communicate by mail and they could get a warrant. The day encrypted comms showed up, they wouldn’t just want to give up. If you love the encryption but hate the terrorism, what to do? Double down on old school / physical surveillance? (Obviously not my field)

If you were sane, you would realise that restricting the right of billions of people to communicate privately, a right they have enjoyed for all the thousands of years of human history, is handing terrorists a complete and total victory far beyond any act of violence they could commit. The purpose of a government is not to prevent 100% of all crime and terrorism by locking every citizen in a straitjacket.

This also isn't even motivated by terrorists, but rather people daring to oppose the government.

Re: Government orders GitHub to remove Bluetooth-based chat app Bitchat: Jack Dorsey

#55
post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Something like this would be basically impossible in the US, and it wouldn't even matter what kind of administration tried it. The US government doesn't even order ISPs to block websites because they run afoul of all kinds of 1st amendment litigation. They just have the FBI seize a domain after a court order. Honestly I would think something like this would come from the EU or UK. UK is trying to ban VPNs, EU is tryi…

Oh boy , this is American exceptionalism at its finest. The US has by far the most authoritarian government of all mentioned entities. Really you should protest against your government.

What a mix!

Yes, it is American exceptionalism (and quite foolish) to make the claim that "This could never happen in the US".

No, the American government is NOT more authoritative than the UK in the way they handle freedom of websites. The grandparent comment is correct: the US government does not (currently) order ISPs to block specific websites.

Yes, those in the US should protest the current government (many of us already are doing so).

Re: Government orders GitHub to remove Bluetooth-based chat app Bitchat: Jack Dorsey

#56
post #42

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Literally any encrypted mesh net communication protocol would be subject to the same propaganda. The point of this stuff is providing checks and balances for the people against a rogue government, or emergency situation. Yeah, did you know criminals can use roads to commit crimes, too? We should destroy all of the roads. Terrorists also use food to give them energy to commit more terrorism, so we should start regulat…

Honestly no idea what I’d do if I were in government. Originally you’d communicate by mail and they could get a warrant. The day encrypted comms showed up, they wouldn’t just want to give up. If you love the encryption but hate the terrorism, what to do? Double down on old school / physical surveillance? (Obviously not my field)

I believe that most of terrorism does happen because the people behind it have some goals, not for funsies; so trying to fight the causes would be one thing to do. Obviously, that's difficult for many reasons, and making life more shit for everyone else is cheap and easy, and hence preferred.

Re: Government orders GitHub to remove Bluetooth-based chat app Bitchat: Jack Dorsey

#57
For context, there are currently mass protests against the Indian government which the government is violently suppressing. It also just cut off the internet in a major city to stop the protesters communicating, so this ban is probably to try and suppress other means of communication.

Re: Government orders GitHub to remove Bluetooth-based chat app Bitchat: Jack Dorsey

#58
post #42

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Literally any encrypted mesh net communication protocol would be subject to the same propaganda. The point of this stuff is providing checks and balances for the people against a rogue government, or emergency situation. Yeah, did you know criminals can use roads to commit crimes, too? We should destroy all of the roads. Terrorists also use food to give them energy to commit more terrorism, so we should start regulat…

Honestly no idea what I’d do if I were in government. Originally you’d communicate by mail and they could get a warrant. The day encrypted comms showed up, they wouldn’t just want to give up. If you love the encryption but hate the terrorism, what to do? Double down on old school / physical surveillance? (Obviously not my field)

Yes, exactly that. Tons of crime is committed using only in-person communication. Should we all have microphones in our homes? Do detective work, flip sources, follow the money.

Re: Government orders GitHub to remove Bluetooth-based chat app Bitchat: Jack Dorsey

#59
post #6
post #4

Bluetooth based messaging apps are naturally able to circumvent internet restrictions that inhibit protests, citizen journalism and other kinds of unapproved activities but there are several ways Bluetooth could be updated as a protocol to introduce compatibility with some kind of antibody-esque suppression of communication standard. It's just a matter of interested parties setting up a body to create the standard, w…

Meshtastic, reticulum, meshcore... We need more.

You think the spooks are just sitting and watching people using other tech unmonitored and do nothing about it?
Post reply on HN