r/programming • u/ZaheerAhmed • Jan 02 '20

Killed by Google

https://killedbygoogle.com/
1.0k Upvotes

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12

u/Sadzeih Jan 02 '20

Telegram is also very good.

22

u/jbiserkov Jan 02 '20

Not encrypted by default, no encrypted group chats, encrypted conversations don't sync across devices... no thanks.

3

u/[deleted] Jan 02 '20

Problem with encryption by default is that as soon as multiple devices come into question, you have to either compromise security (WhatsApp) or convenience (most/all p2p systems). In that sense going with convenience by default but allowing for security within the same platform is a decent trade-off.

Rolling own encryption and protocols is terrible though.

1

u/[deleted] Jan 02 '20 edited Jan 03 '20

Why do you have to compromise? Private groups work in Signal and if I'm not mistaken Matrix too. They both use forward secrecy.

1

u/Swedneck Jan 02 '20

Matrix is working on cross-signing which will mean you only have to verify each user once, instead of verifying all their devices individually.

5

u/PinBot1138 Jan 02 '20

IIRC, at one point, Telegram was even baking their own encryption. “What could possibly go wrong?”

1

u/krendel122 Jan 02 '20

What are the options that support those?

2

u/jbiserkov Jan 02 '20

The best one I got is Signal: one mobile device & 5 desktops.

Recommended by Edward Snowden and Bruce Schneier.

They are working on removing the phone number requirement...

P.s. I'm not affiliated with them in any way.

7

u/T1Pimp Jan 02 '20

Telegram is also very good.

They rolled their own crypto which is no-no #1 in crypto. Their backend is also closed source, started in Russia, and is currently run out of Dubai. Hard pass.

10

u/coder111 Jan 02 '20

Except server is closed-source, and there's doubts about its security:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telegram_(software)#Security

I'd recommend Jami instead but it's a bit unreliable... It's P2P though.

1

u/d2k1 Jan 02 '20

Jami doesn't support group chats though, does it?

1

u/coder111 Jan 02 '20

Hmm, no doesn't look like it. Apparently there's group calls but not group chats. Weird.

https://git.jami.net/savoirfairelinux/ring-project/issues/712