How can the source be checked if it is really anon?
'Hush,' anonymous messaging app from developers in Myanmar
11–20 of 51 posts
Re: 'Hush,' anonymous messaging app from developers in Myanmar
#12It would be awesome to see more technical discussion of the anonymity mechanism. How do you ensure that users accounts are not linked Personally Identifying Information? We've seen that when folks implement weak anonymity technologies, disaster quickly ensues.
Hi, great point. Currently, users have to use their phone numbers to login. However, user's phone number is encrypted in the db.
To ensure that everyone's comfortable with it, we're adding a new feature which doesn't require the user to login.
Re: 'Hush,' anonymous messaging app from developers in Myanmar
#13Earlier quoted context omitted.
Do you think most of your users are outside Burma? Your website seems to be advertising the app in English and Chinese but not Burmese?
Which site are you referring to? If it is www.letshush.com, it is in English and Burmese.
The article links to a Facebook page for imhush.com which also appears to be a social network.
Looks like it could be their mistake, unless you are also launching a different app with public identities.
Re: 'Hush,' anonymous messaging app from developers in Myanmar
#14Earlier quoted context omitted.
Do you think most of your users are outside Burma? Your website seems to be advertising the app in English and Chinese but not Burmese?
Which site are you referring to? If it is www.letshush.com, it is in English and Burmese.
Oh, thanks for the info.
Our facebook page is fb.com/letshush.
Re: 'Hush,' anonymous messaging app from developers in Myanmar
#15It would be awesome to see more technical discussion of the anonymity mechanism. How do you ensure that users accounts are not linked Personally Identifying Information? We've seen that when folks implement weak anonymity technologies, disaster quickly ensues.
Hi, great point. Currently, users have to use their phone numbers to login. However, user's phone number is encrypted in the db. To ensure that everyone's comfortable with it, we're adding a new feature which doesn't require the user to login.
The minimum I would consider responsible is
1. Use a hashcash style proof of work mechanism to register account. The server send a challenge and have the client compute a nonce under the difficulty. This could be turned to take an average of seconds to minutes on your median users device.
This isn't a long term solution because eventually an attacker will realize that they can use more powerful machines to create sybils and abuse your network.
I'm actively working on alternatives ATM.
2. Embed Tor. The Guardian Project folks will be able to give advice on embedding a tor proxy in your app. There is documentation online as well. Chatsecure has done this.
This would reduce the amount of information you have in your possession for authorities to seize.
This would not protect your user base if authorities compel you to ship a malicious software update.
3. Also use SSL and pin your public key for your SSL cert
Re: 'Hush,' anonymous messaging app from developers in Myanmar
#16It would be awesome to see more technical discussion of the anonymity mechanism. How do you ensure that users accounts are not linked Personally Identifying Information? We've seen that when folks implement weak anonymity technologies, disaster quickly ensues.
Hi, great point. Currently, users have to use their phone numbers to login. However, user's phone number is encrypted in the db. To ensure that everyone's comfortable with it, we're adding a new feature which doesn't require the user to login.
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Re: 'Hush,' anonymous messaging app from developers in Myanmar
#17It would be awesome to see more technical discussion of the anonymity mechanism. How do you ensure that users accounts are not linked Personally Identifying Information? We've seen that when folks implement weak anonymity technologies, disaster quickly ensues.
Hi, great point. Currently, users have to use their phone numbers to login. However, user's phone number is encrypted in the db. To ensure that everyone's comfortable with it, we're adding a new feature which doesn't require the user to login.
This worries me. What exactly do you mean by encrypted in the DB?
If you actually mean hashed using a one-way function, it would be very easy to hash every possible phone number (there are not that many) to build a lookup table to deanonymise your users instantly. Even if you individually salt each hash it would not take very long at all to find the phone number for each entry.
If you do mean encrypted, then authorities could compel you to turnover the database and the key.
Why do you need to store the phone number in any way at all?
Re: 'Hush,' anonymous messaging app from developers in Myanmar
#18Please update the title to "This new messaging app from developers in Myanmar is kind of revolutionary", the submitted site uses that now. The original was very misleading.
Re: 'Hush,' anonymous messaging app from developers in Myanmar
#19For those intrigued by the state of tech in Myanmar, there was a very interesting a16z podcast about it - http://a16z.com/2014/12/09/a16z-podcast-technology-and-the-o... .
Re: 'Hush,' anonymous messaging app from developers in Myanmar
#20Please update the title to "This new messaging app from developers in Myanmar is kind of revolutionary", the submitted site uses that now. The original was very misleading.
You can update a title? I didn't realize that was possible.