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Saying goodbye to encrypted SMS/MMS

whispersystems.org

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Re: Saying goodbye to encrypted SMS/MMS

#23

Post by caf »

zobzu wrote: post #17

its been kind of nice to have textsecure as an option when internet is not available (which sadly happens a lot especially for travelers...) I understand the decision is, again, for the greater good, but I can't help to think it's going to leave a hole.

That's a good point - I've been travelling places where I've had roaming SMS but not data.

Re: Saying goodbye to encrypted SMS/MMS

#24

Post by igravious »

Perhaps not call the app TextSecure then?

I think Moxie is a total dude but wasn't SMS encryption the Unique Selling Point of TextSecure? It was the reason I installed the app and go through the inconvenience of typing a very long string into the app every time the app restarts.

I undertsand the logic of what Moxie is saying, if that's the case then the conclusion should be, "We need to shut down the entire app", not "We got to switch off encryption"

Re: Saying goodbye to encrypted SMS/MMS

#25

Post by moxie »

igravious wrote: post #24

Perhaps not call the app TextSecure then? I think Moxie is a total dude but wasn't SMS encryption the Unique Selling Point of TextSecure? It was the reason I installed the app and go through the inconvenience of typing a very long string into the app every time the app restarts. I undertsand the logic of what Moxie is saying, if that's the case then the conclusion should be, "We need to shut down the entire app", not…

It will still be possible to send encrypted messages, just over the internet rather than over SMS. This has been the default mode of operation for a while now, we're just disabling the old SMS mode that has been lingering for the past few years.

Re: Saying goodbye to encrypted SMS/MMS

#26

Post by kalleboo »

justin66 wrote: post #22

iOS does not have APIs that allow us to programatically send/receive SMS messages Wait... what?

Correct. The only API for sending SMS is to open a prefilled, system-controlled "compose new message" modal. https://developer.apple.com/library/ios/documentation/UserEx...

Re: Saying goodbye to encrypted SMS/MMS

#27

Post by orblivion »

jlebar wrote: post #4

"We don’t want the state-run telcos in Saudi, Iran, Bahrain, Belarus, China, Egypt, Cuba, USA, etc… to have direct access to the metadata of TextSecure users in those countries or anywhere else." I <3 Moxie.

I'm curious how GCM is much better? Granted Google isn't a state actor, but it's still a major corp.

Re: Saying goodbye to encrypted SMS/MMS

#29

Post by zmanian »

jackbravo wrote: post #5

Lack of GCM was one of their primary reasons for not providing an APK for TextSecure for users who don't use Google Play (like users with CyanogenMod). - https://github.com/WhisperSystems/TextSecure/issues/127 - http://support.whispersystems.org/customer/portal/articles/1... Hopefully that option will be available soon.

It's been interesting to see the decline in GCM performance since the launch of Textsecure v2 in 2013. Dropped and delayed Textsecure messages have gone from rare to routine in the Bay Area. At 31c3, I learned the WispherPush has been near unusable for many Europeans from the get go.

Looking forward to dropping the GCM requirement.

It's cognitively dissonant not to read GCM not as Galois Counter Mode in a crypto discussion.

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