321–330 of 1001 posts
Do people still believe that Facebook doesn't collect data from the apps owned by them? Hell even the apps that is Facebook SDK send user data to Facebook even when you don't use facebook owned apps: https://media.ccc.de/v/35c3-9941-how_facebook_tracks_you_on_...
It has been said that companies that build rely too heavily on the public, free API’s of another service are doomed when that service decides to monetize those API’s. See, for example, API users of Google Maps. I think we are now at the point where this applies to individuals. If a person or group of people rely too heavily on a single free service then they’re going to feel pain when that service finally decides to…
That's why I'm still sceptical of Signal. It's free as well, paid for by donations but still. At the end of the day I'm not the one paying directly for the service I'm using.
It has been said that companies that build rely too heavily on the public, free API’s of another service are doomed when that service decides to monetize those API’s. See, for example, API users of Google Maps. I think we are now at the point where this applies to individuals. If a person or group of people rely too heavily on a single free service then they’re going to feel pain when that service finally decides to…
That's why I'm still sceptical of Signal. It's free as well, paid for by donations but still. At the end of the day I'm not the one paying directly for the service I'm using.
It has been said that companies that build rely too heavily on the public, free API’s of another service are doomed when that service decides to monetize those API’s. See, for example, API users of Google Maps. I think we are now at the point where this applies to individuals. If a person or group of people rely too heavily on a single free service then they’re going to feel pain when that service finally decides to…
I'd love to give up WhatsApp, but network effects are key here. I tried moving my extended family off WhatsApp onto Signal a couple of years ago and it failed miserably because the app wasn't nearly as easy to use, and they had all their friends on Whatsapp. Has anyone here had any success moving a large group of people onto something like Signal or Telegram? If so, do you have any tips?
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?
You mean the signal protocol.
Signal would probably be a poor base for an interoperability standard. Which flavour would you use? Signal Messenger, Matrix, OMEMO and allegedly WhatsApp all use the Signal protocol but can not interoperate at all.
Signal Protocol is also more complex than it needs to be. It has two levels of forward secrecy for example. It is basically all the crypto geekery of the last few decades packed into a instant messaging protocol. Something intended as an interconnection standard should be as simple as possible.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Signal's not like... "tech for tech people." It's very much usable for nontechnical family members, etc.
While I agree with this 90% of the way, their backup, restore, and phone changing process is very much "tech for tech people". I've had the joy of trying to explain to my elderly dad why his text message history is lost because he chose Signal as the default sms system, didn't make a backup, didn't sync that backup to the cloud or manually copy it to the new phone, and didn't write down the very long decryption code.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Its worth remembering that whatsapp used to have an annual charge, and it grew successfully with that. The charge was only removed once FB bought them. Personally I don't know anyone that started using whatsapp after the fb purchase, so they were all happy to pay for their use of a messaging app.
Did they have that ever on iOS? I’ve never seen it.