The new WhatsApp...

should just spam keywords like everyone used to in their email signatures back in the echelon days to flood the system with garbage
 
Is this what passes for journalism these days? The only way this guy would be targeted for surveillance would be if a clinician were watching him to see if it hurts to be this stupid.
 
I am bothered by this, but the question I have is what chat platform DOESNT harvest data these days?

I'm not using this as an argument to excuse Facebook, but I genuinely don't think there are any good alternatives.

Your wireless carrier is certainly monitoring your SMS:es, Google keeps tabs on hangouts. etc, etc.
 
dgz said:
He has nothing to fear so long as he does nothing wrong, correct?
Click to expand...

Actually, no, not that at all. The fact that he is shocked to learn that a closed-source messaging app provided for free might not be as secure as he thought it was is what makes him painfully stupid.

Of course, he's also painfully stupid because he doesn't realize his phone doesn't have an encrypted clipboard. Oh, and that he thought his Facebook activity was safe.

I mean, seriously - why would someone who pretends to be so concerned with security be so shocked that Whatsapp isn't secure? Why wouldn't such a person be using one of dozens of actually secure P2P messaging options? The answer is simple: because he's an idiot.

Plus, he writes like a petulant 8yo having a tantrum.
 
Thunderdolt said:
Actually, no, not that at all. The fact that he is shocked to learn that a closed-source messaging app provided for free might not be as secure as he thought it was is what makes him painfully stupid.
Click to expand...

WhatsApp didn’t use to be free actually. I think it cost me a buck originally, back around 2013 ish.

Not that that changes the current situation of it being a free app, just a small factoid.
 
Signal supposedly doesn't store if you have a timed message set.
Retroshare is king for PC P2P.
 
I'm confused here. I don't use WhatsApp.

WhatsApp is a messaging service, like iMessage or old school ICQ? It sends private conversations between consenting parties? It doesn't publicly broadcast the conversation like on a forum?

If so....why would those conversations need to be moderated or analyzed? Is private conversation the same as public conversation now?

People say (and do) questionable things in private. Is this unknown?

You can report, ignore or block someone you don't want to interact with?

I'm just not seeing why things said in private need to moderated. I'm just not woke enough.
 
Zarathustra[H] said:
I am bothered by this, but the question I have is what chat platform DOESNT harvest data these days?

I'm not using this as an argument to excuse Facebook, but I genuinely don't think there are any good alternatives.

Your wireless carrier is certainly monitoring your SMS:es, Google keeps tabs on hangouts. etc, etc.
Click to expand...


I use Signal, which has end to end encryption. So my chats between my wife, and others with signal are secure.
 
Thunderdolt said:
The fact that he is shocked to learn that a closed-source messaging app provided for free might not be as secure as he thought it was is what makes him painfully stupid.
Click to expand...

A commenter to the article rants that FB denies this story is true.

I wouldn't believe them without a statement like "under no circumstances will anyone or anything but the recipient see the content of your messages" and I doubt I'd even trust that.
 
Zarathustra[H] said:
I am bothered by this, but the question I have is what chat platform DOESNT harvest data these days?

I'm not using this as an argument to excuse Facebook, but I genuinely don't think there are any good alternatives.

Your wireless carrier is certainly monitoring your SMS:es, Google keeps tabs on hangouts. etc, etc.
Click to expand...

BoiseTech said:
I use Signal, which has end to end encryption. So my chats between my wife, and others with signal are secure.
Click to expand...



This is a good place to start. And on a related note... my time to shine!

You'll want to use exclusively open source programs with solid encryption and privacy in mind. Anything proprietary opens things up to major issues, profit motive, data mining and the like - even on the ostensibly "better" offerings

Assuming you want a drop-in messenger for WhatsApp then I suggest

https://signal.org/ - Signal is fully open source , uses solid encryption, and is all around a good program for a Mobile type replacement. Its ease of use is a major feature and can be a "drop in" easy to use replacement for whatever your standard Android or iOS messenger may be, including sending SMS as a "backup" to those not using Signal. There are no usernames and whatnot as it uses your mobile number as an identifier instead - some consider this a downside, but instead of SMS, iMessage and the like its a better option; provided they're functional, VOIP-type numbers can be used as well. There are also desktop clients too so long as you register it with a mobile number somehow first. It offers not just basic text and picture messaging, but emoji and voice/video messaging too, all encrypted in a seamless style. Definitely a great "first" foray into privacy respecting alternatives and easy to use even for those with less technical ability.

https://wire.com/en/ - Wire is also open source and a great alternative to many types of messengers. It is comprehensive and I think it perhaps most akin to a Skype replacement, in that unlike Signal it doesn't require a phone number and has a more traditional account system. Don't worry about any costs listed - the personal use version is free and the monetize by offering a business-focused option for organizations.

https://about.riot.im and https://matrix.org/ - Matrix is a next generation open source, federated, encrypted communications protocol, akin to XMPP. It can handle all kinds of features including chat, voice/video and end to end encryption, all while being federated ; interoperable servers with user choice of where they wish to register, not unlike email. It is even built with bridging to other networks - both open and proprietary - in mind. The exact features used often comes down what a client supports, so while there are many solid clients out there, I would suggest newbies check out Riot first . Riot is perhaps one of the most polished and accessible Matrix clients to date, offering a very similar experience to "Discord" or "Slack" in terms of features and overall layout, but with the privacy and security benefits. It also has a recently overhauled mobile client, not to mention a webclient for those who wish it. As Matrix and its clients continue to develop I expect to see its use grow accordingly - hopefully, absorbing some of those who are otherwise interested in Discord (which I feel is too large, too centralized, and too proprietary - not to mention its financial backing - )

Those are just a few alternatives for the use of Facebook Messenger or WhatsApp. Depending on your needs there are many others out there, such as the various open source XMPP clients (Conversations, Zom, Movim, Dino and quite a few others depending on platform).

Feel free to take a look at a site like www.privacytools.io and/or www.prism-break.org ; These sites point the way to some alternative services and software (mostly free and open source) that offer better privacy, anonymity, and/or security. I would also check out https://fediverse.party/ - which gives links and overviews to many projects that are a part of the "Fediverse" , open source, federated alternatives for social networking. For instance some of those with a larger userbase are Mastodon (a Twitter-style microblogging platform), Friendica and Diaspora (comprehensive Facebook style social networks), Pixelfed (Instagram style platform for photo sharing) and PeerTube (video hosting/sharing platform). For those searching for ways to get away from the harmful social media/networks without having to give up that contact entirely, sites powered by Fediverse software are great alternatives!

If anyone has questions please let me know
 
I personally use Wire. My friends and I switched from Hangouts a while back. It's good enough and E2E and also doesn't require giving it your phone #, which I like
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top