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WhatsApp gives users an ultimatum: Share data with Facebook or stop using app

arstechnica.com

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Re: WhatsApp gives users an ultimatum: Share data with Facebook or stop using app

#101

Post by kemenaran »

sagivo wrote: post #71
utf_8x wrote: post #62

Once again - Signal[0] as an alternative. It's fully Open-Source (including the backend) and their crypto is public and independently verified[1][2][3]... [0] https://signal.org/en/ [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Signal_(software)#Encryption_p ... [2] https://threatpost.com/signal-audit-reveals-protocol-cryptog ... [3] https://eprint.iacr.org/2016/1013.pdf [PDF]

How is it compared to telegram?

IMHO, Signal main advantage is that you can sell it to your parents and friends like "WhatsApp, but safe".

It tries to have feature-parity to WhatsApp; looks the same, works the same. All this while researching innovations on cryptography that doesn't compromise user experience too much.

In my experience, doing exactly what WhatsApp does (but safer) makes it an easy sell to people around me.

Re: WhatsApp gives users an ultimatum: Share data with Facebook or stop using app

#105

Post by baxtr »

Evidlo wrote: post #78
utf_8x wrote: post #62

Once again - Signal[0] as an alternative. It's fully Open-Source (including the backend) and their crypto is public and independently verified[1][2][3]... [0] https://signal.org/en/ [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Signal_(software)#Encryption_p ... [2] https://threatpost.com/signal-audit-reveals-protocol-cryptog ... [3] https://eprint.iacr.org/2016/1013.pdf [PDF]

That's just moving from one silo to another though. Users of centralized services don't have much recourse when the company pulls the rug out from under them.

I have started to migrate from WhatsApp to iMessage with Apple and Signal with Android users. At least not a single silo...

Re: WhatsApp gives users an ultimatum: Share data with Facebook or stop using app

#106

Post by bigiain »

_ink_ wrote: post #48
srfvtgb wrote: post #29

A lot of people mention Telegram, as far as I can tell, it's a worse Signal. What advantages does it have over Signal?

I think the UI is better. Encryption is worse. But I like how they structured their data centers. They have sprinkled them into different countries and they claim that servers from different jurisdictions are necessary to access the data. So if an agency wants to access it, they have to get warrants from different countries. With all the war on encryption going on, e.g. forcing companies to include backdoors, I think…

> They have sprinkled them into different countries and they claim that servers from different jurisdictions are necessary to access the data. So if an agency wants to access it, they have to get warrants from different countries.

That's a neat trick, but not as neat as Signal's "sure, here's all the data we have - the time and ip address of their last use."

(I'm sure a bunch of the "better UX, UI, and features" people like in Telegram rely on them storing more data on their servers, so that comes down to a privacy/convenience tradeoff, which as others have pointed out almost always comes down on the convenience side for 99.99% of people...)

Re: WhatsApp gives users an ultimatum: Share data with Facebook or stop using app

#107

Post by frombody »

utf_8x wrote: post #89
Evidlo wrote: post #78

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's just moving from one silo to another though. Users of centralized services don't have much recourse when the company pulls the rug out from under them.

True but you have to consider the app needs to be user friendly to see any real adoption... Don't get me wrong, I love Riot (or whatever it's called these days) but it's just not user-friendly for your average Joe...

Honestly if they just picked a different emoji collection, I would be happy.

Re: WhatsApp gives users an ultimatum: Share data with Facebook or stop using app

#108

Post by toper-centage »

srfvtgb wrote: post #29

A lot of people mention Telegram, as far as I can tell, it's a worse Signal. What advantages does it have over Signal?

Signal is good for privacy and that's about it. Telegram has voice calls, videos calls, stickers and easy sticker creation, super convenient in-line gif/pic/video search, video and voice messages, and you can add people without sharing your phone number...

Re: WhatsApp gives users an ultimatum: Share data with Facebook or stop using app

#109

Post by satellite2 »

Couldn't the EU force them to standardize the protocol and to interoperate with other client/servers?

With WhatsApp becoming the new defacto sms / mms it would make sense.

Could they even reuse pieces of the legislation that made it happen for usb chargers?

Re: WhatsApp gives users an ultimatum: Share data with Facebook or stop using app

#110

Post by nkingsy »

Evidlo wrote: post #78
utf_8x wrote: post #62

Once again - Signal[0] as an alternative. It's fully Open-Source (including the backend) and their crypto is public and independently verified[1][2][3]... [0] https://signal.org/en/ [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Signal_(software)#Encryption_p ... [2] https://threatpost.com/signal-audit-reveals-protocol-cryptog ... [3] https://eprint.iacr.org/2016/1013.pdf [PDF]

That's just moving from one silo to another though. Users of centralized services don't have much recourse when the company pulls the rug out from under them.

Isn’t the problem profit motive? Wikipedia is a foundation, so it works the same way it always has. We need this for more basic services like messaging and identity
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