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Ex-WhatsApp cybersecurity head says Meta endangered billions of users
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Re: Ex-WhatsApp cybersecurity head says Meta endangered billions of users
#42I hate Meta as much as the next person, but it feels like "endangering billions of users" is exagerating here. The complaint is pretty much that WhatsApp engineers can access metadata (NOT the content of the messages).
This said, WhatsApp is not open source, so it's impossible for users to verify how the encryption works, so users have to trust that it's properly end-to-end encrypted.
If you care about privacy (and you should), then you should use Signal instead of WhatsApp.
Re: Ex-WhatsApp cybersecurity head says Meta endangered billions of users
#43All Meta guys develop a conscience after leaving Meta.
You have to put your conscience in escrow until your options vest.
I mean the options are
1) leave quietly and tell no one: con - no one on HN gets to talk about it. The next person needing money does it anyway.
2) leave loudly when you're still poor: con - you get blacklisted from tech and die from a preventable disease working at a gas station without insurance. The company implements the policy anyway.
3) leave loudly when your rich: con - people accuse you of selling out the users.
Re: Ex-WhatsApp cybersecurity head says Meta endangered billions of users
#44Given how WhatsApp is the de-facto way to communicate outside of the West and China, these security/data-handling "weaknesses" are most likely a feature, not a bug. An absolute bonanza for the certain intelligence services. Remember, kids: End to end encryption is useless if the "ends" are fully controlled by an (untrustworthy) third party.
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Re: Ex-WhatsApp cybersecurity head says Meta endangered billions of users
#45I hate Meta as much as the next person, but it feels like "endangering billions of users" is exagerating here. The complaint is pretty much that WhatsApp engineers can access metadata ( NOT the content of the messages). This said, WhatsApp is not open source, so it's impossible for users to verify how the encryption works, so users have to trust that it's properly end-to-end encrypted. If you care about privacy (and…
The metadata of someone's communications can be almost as damning as the content. I would guess that if the FBI could merely have a list of who their suspect contacted over an app, and when, they'd have 90% of what they wanted.
Re: Ex-WhatsApp cybersecurity head says Meta endangered billions of users
#46Full text of the lawsuit: https://www.bloomberglaw.com/public/desktop/document/BaigvMe...
Re: Ex-WhatsApp cybersecurity head says Meta endangered billions of users
#47Earlier quoted context omitted.
You have to put your conscience in escrow until your options vest.
I mean the options are 1) leave quietly and tell no one: con - no one on HN gets to talk about it. The next person needing money does it anyway. 2) leave loudly when you're still poor: con - you get blacklisted from tech and die from a preventable disease working at a gas station without insurance. The company implements the policy anyway. 3) leave loudly when your rich: con - people accuse you of selling out the use…
I believe you are forgetting:
4) Don't join Meta in the first place
I have consistently told recruiters from Meta to leave me alone. It is a company that has knowingly done massive harm to our culture and our children, and I have no interest in ever working with or for them.
Re: Ex-WhatsApp cybersecurity head says Meta endangered billions of users
#48Didn't Hacker News feature an article on their home page at some point (10 years ago?) that at that time Facebook misconfigured something and users could observe their data being fed directly to some Israeli intelligence company? That was the day I deleted my FB account and never looked at anything they offer anymore.
Re: Ex-WhatsApp cybersecurity head says Meta endangered billions of users
#49Earlier quoted context omitted.
iMessage is end to end encrypted. Although Apple says it secure and the courts and FBI seem to not be able to get it in, it is still closed source.
I can't tell if I'm being paranoid or just realistic, when I suspect that FBI/Apple fights over decrypting/unlocking iPhones or iMessage are just part of Apple's security theater. If I were Evil-Tim-Cook, I'd have a deal with the FBI (and other agencies) where I'd hand over some user's data, in return for them keeping that secret and occasionally very publicly taking Apple to court demanding they expose a specific us…
Wouldn’t it be easier to just not do that and have the same thing happen, but for real?
Re: Ex-WhatsApp cybersecurity head says Meta endangered billions of users
#50Earlier quoted context omitted.
Without open source, end to end encryption is useless. It's not hard to hide a piece of code that defeats the encryption in closed source code.
iMessage is end to end encrypted. Although Apple says it secure and the courts and FBI seem to not be able to get it in, it is still closed source.
iMessage backups in the cloud are subject to warrants. Even if you don't use iCloud backups, can you be sure everyone you communicate with also abstains?