How does one know that the app being installed through an app store comes from the public source code? Shouldn't I need to create and install my own APK from source?
The code can certainly be different than the public source.
Signal for Beginners
51–57 of 57 posts
Re: Signal for Beginners
#52Earlier quoted context omitted.
> That doesn't work as well for auto-discovery of other Signal users, though. It does if one's Contacts app stores Signal contact information for one's contacts; then one could simply query using non-Signal information as the key (e.g. one could ask, 'give me Signal contact information for tel:+15551212, mailto:fizzbuzz@barquux.org and http://plus.google.com/SomeUserName' ).
> one could simply query using non-Signal information as the key (e.g. one could ask, 'give me Signal contact information for tel:+15551212, mailto:fizzbuzz@barquux.org and http://plus.google.com/SomeUserName' ). That doesn't seem like a very good tradeoff because then it requires Signal to store/compare _more_ personally identifying information (though I guess you could make many of those things pseudo-anonymous).
> That doesn't seem like a very good tradeoff because then it requires Signal to store/compare _more_ personally identifying information (though I guess you could make many of those things pseudo-anonymous).
Actually, it's possible to do even better that that: one can execute a private set intersection protocol so that you & each of your contacts can discover mutual contacts without revealing others.
Signal aren't required to store any personally identifying information: they choose to do so.
Re: Signal for Beginners
#53To me it feels Signal just wants to become the new WhatsApp more than anything. Yes, I'm basing this on the gif support and that it requires a phone number. The security argument only worked as long as whatsapp and co. did not roll out e2ee. I could support a sincere attempt that want to do good which OWS seemed to be doing, but now that they are competing on the emoji front they have lost their edge for me* *I don't…
Except is rather everyone be using an open source, minimal logging version of WhatsApp
Re: Signal for Beginners
#54To me it feels Signal just wants to become the new WhatsApp more than anything. Yes, I'm basing this on the gif support and that it requires a phone number. The security argument only worked as long as whatsapp and co. did not roll out e2ee. I could support a sincere attempt that want to do good which OWS seemed to be doing, but now that they are competing on the emoji front they have lost their edge for me* *I don't…
Except is rather everyone be using an open source, minimal logging version of WhatsApp
Presuming the signed app code is the same as the published source; and of course we can't see the server code.
Re: Signal for Beginners
#55Earlier quoted context omitted.
> Can you think of anything easier? I think signal:wtbob works just as well as tel:+15551212, if we want to continue to rely on OWS as a central identity provider. I think that 'mom's dad's sister June' also works, if we want decentralised identity.
> 'mom's dad's sister June' also works Can you expand on that? I'm not sure quite what you mean. Also, my great aunt is called June.
> Can you expand on that? I'm not sure quite what you mean.
Sure! It derives from the SDSI/SPKI work of the late 90s, which demonstrated how one can use petnames (i.e., local nicknames) for people, and then refer to a contact's petnames via one's petname for that contact.
So you might refer to a name (mom dad June).
Re: Signal for Beginners
#56Earlier quoted context omitted.
> 'mom's dad's sister June' also works Can you expand on that? I'm not sure quite what you mean. Also, my great aunt is called June.
> Can you expand on that? I'm not sure quite what you mean. Sure! It derives from the SDSI/SPKI work of the late 90s, which demonstrated how one can use petnames (i.e., local nicknames) for people, and then refer to a contact's petnames via one's petname for that contact. So you might refer to a name (mom dad June).
Makes total sense now, thanks!
Did you fudge the last example though? My mum's dad is not called June. Or am I misunderstanding?
Re: Signal for Beginners
#57Earlier quoted context omitted.
> Can you expand on that? I'm not sure quite what you mean. Sure! It derives from the SDSI/SPKI work of the late 90s, which demonstrated how one can use petnames (i.e., local nicknames) for people, and then refer to a contact's petnames via one's petname for that contact. So you might refer to a name (mom dad June).
Makes total sense now, thanks! Did you fudge the last example though? My mum's dad is not called June. Or am I misunderstanding?
Nope, not fudged: the names are hierarchical. So (name mom) is mom in your namespace, (name mom dad) is dad in your mom's namespace, and (name mom dad June) is June in your mom's dad's namespace.