Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

TDLib – Build Your Own Telegram Client

telegram.org

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

91–100 of 101 posts

Re: TDLib – Build Your Own Telegram Client

#91

Post by codedokode »

mashedvikings wrote: post #85
codedokode wrote: post #80

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It requires you to provide a phone number (read disclose your identity) to use it. And its homepage has the word "privacy" repeated several times. It looks like a poor joke.

Yet the developer is world famous for his security work, not for something like inventing Facebook for Russians. Are you sure you can handle 100% anonymous connection to servers of apps that could at any time identify you based on your IP?

I am not trying to discuss who is the developer, I just wanted to say that you cannot require a phone number and talk about privacy at the same time. Phone number discloses your location and identity.

IP address is much easier to hide, for example by using a VPN.

Re: TDLib – Build Your Own Telegram Client

#92

Post by codedokode »

bqe wrote: post #84
codedokode wrote: post #80

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It requires you to provide a phone number (read disclose your identity) to use it. And its homepage has the word "privacy" repeated several times. It looks like a poor joke.

You can easily use a VoIP number to set up Signal if that's really an issue for you. The alternative (using Telegram's homegrown and dubious cryptography and lack of actually encrypted group messages) is significantly worse. Here's a nice summary of the issues: https://security.stackexchange.com/a/49802/43733

Telegram also requires a phone number so it is not any better than Signal. Regarding cryptography, anything is good as long as three-letter agencies cannot break it.

Re: TDLib – Build Your Own Telegram Client

#93

Post by ShabbosGoy »

bqe wrote: post #84
codedokode wrote: post #80

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It requires you to provide a phone number (read disclose your identity) to use it. And its homepage has the word "privacy" repeated several times. It looks like a poor joke.

You can easily use a VoIP number to set up Signal if that's really an issue for you. The alternative (using Telegram's homegrown and dubious cryptography and lack of actually encrypted group messages) is significantly worse. Here's a nice summary of the issues: https://security.stackexchange.com/a/49802/43733

VoIP is easily traceable too. Pay with a credit card for the number? Use Google Voice? Bam, they’ve got you.

Re: TDLib – Build Your Own Telegram Client

#94

Post by f2n »

24gttghh wrote: post #68
f2n wrote: post #58

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Because one is human and one mistypes... I'm normally on the Signal side of this argument, Telegram is trash and should not be used, but basic features like message editing are legitimate requests. I use Signal heavily and a number of times a day at least I or someone I'm chatting with corrects a previous poorly phrased or incorrectly typed messages. Because Signal has no mechanism for that, it usually involves retyp…

I've been retyping the offending word and adding * since I started using chat programs 20 years ago, and in every program since...I would think allowing messages to be edited after the fact would allow more problems than solving simple grammar or spelling mistakes most people can think around anyways.

I'd imagine I would have thought the same thing before I actively used a messaging tool that supports message editing (I use Slack for work)

Further, the goal of Signal is not to work well for people who are accustomed to the various quirks of text-based communications that have existed since forever, but to provide a secure, modern communication client that normies don't find difficult to use. Message editing has become a standard feature of any usable modern messaging client.

Re: TDLib – Build Your Own Telegram Client

#95

Post by ComodoHacker »

bjoli wrote: post #57
lloeki wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

While I am wary of "build-your-own-crypto", saying it has a poor security record is, to my knowledge so far, incorrect. I have yet to see satisfactory cryptanalysis that shows a weakness (theoretical or real) in the protocol. If anything, it seems to withstand scrutiny so far. Even the dedicated security.se.com question[0] seems like it wraps itself in tautologies. Until then, throwing the "homegrown encryption" argu…

Well, to me the whole thing is about a couple of things: When Telegram first launched, people were reading their crypto whitepaper and going "Whoa, this is weird. You should probably not be doing it like this", and the reply was "Well, our 6 world champion coders (did you win a coding world championship?) think it is nice. Deal with it". They then launched a bullshit crypto challenge (which would have been secure eve…

>having a copy of a significant chunk of my private communication on a server in Russia

To be fair, Telegram doesn't have servers in Russia.

Re: TDLib – Build Your Own Telegram Client

#96

Post by zimpenfish »

fwdpropaganda wrote: post #48
zimpenfish wrote: post #42

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> (you'd think the Telegram team would care more about that, considering where they come from) That assumes the Telegram team aren't part of the nation state apparatus, surely.

Do you have any reason to assume they are? Of course, other than the fact that the founder is _RUSSIAN_ gasp

I don't assume they are. But equally I don't automatically assume they aren't, either.

Re: TDLib – Build Your Own Telegram Client

#97

Post by nkristoffersen »

jamesb93 wrote: post #76
morganvachon wrote: post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

And once again, if I need that kind of security I'll seek it out. Telegram is more secure than email and SMS, and more convenient for my use case.

Signal is not feature rich and harder to get people to use. It also lacks the desktop/laptop integration.

Signal has desktop apps now https://signal.org/download/

Re: TDLib – Build Your Own Telegram Client

#98

Post by andrepd »

codedokode wrote: post #82
andrepd wrote: post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

So is Signal and at least that is secure.

Signal requires to provide a phone number (read: disclose your identity to US Government) to use it.

I'm not a US citizen. And there is such a thing as prepaid phones, at least where I'm living.

Re: TDLib – Build Your Own Telegram Client

#99

Post by andrepd »

f2n wrote: post #94
24gttghh wrote: post #68

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've been retyping the offending word and adding * since I started using chat programs 20 years ago, and in every program since...I would think allowing messages to be edited after the fact would allow more problems than solving simple grammar or spelling mistakes most people can think around anyways.

I'd imagine I would have thought the same thing before I actively used a messaging tool that supports message editing (I use Slack for work) Further, the goal of Signal is not to work well for people who are accustomed to the various quirks of text-based communications that have existed since forever, but to provide a secure, modern communication client that normies don't find difficult to use. Message editing has be…

I don't think I ever used a message service that allows you to edit messages.

Re: TDLib – Build Your Own Telegram Client

#100

Post by cosarara97 »

nkristoffersen wrote: post #97
jamesb93 wrote: post #76

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Signal is not feature rich and harder to get people to use. It also lacks the desktop/laptop integration.

Signal has desktop apps now https://signal.org/download/

How do they compare to the telegram desktop client? Are they electron apps?
Post reply on HN