Telegram is known as a privacy-focused secure messaging app because it markets itself that way. However, it is often criticized by security experts, privacy advocates, and people with common sense who can understand why its claims about being privacy-friendly don't make sense. In this brief article, I'll show you all
  • Treczoks@lemmy.worldEnglish
    91·
    18 hours ago

    As long as the keys are handled via a closed source app and server system, e2ee is potentially broken.

    Even if you generated the key, keep the private part locally and submitted only the public part to your communication partner, you can never be sure that the intransparent app does keep your private key private.

    With WhatsApp I’m quite sure that they somehow can retrieve the private key. Certain events point to that. But I see no reason to consider signal or telegram any more trustworthy - they are all prone to governmental influence.

    And as open source and closed app infrastructure are incompatible, I would not handle anything important on an Android or Apple device.

  • wuffah@lemmy.worldEnglish
    241·
    15 hours ago

    Ever since the CEO of Telegram was basically lured to Paris, arrested, then read the riot act for Telegram’s non-cooperation with French authorities, the company has been responding to warrants and downplaying its “E2EE” features. Expect them to have a fully accessible backdoor for LE.

    By the way, don’t forget about that Bitlocker backdoor that “mysteriously” doesn’t affect Windows 10.

    The EU and US digital surveillance states have been tightening their grip on encryption and online anonymity for years now. “Age verification” is just the latest push.

  • AeronMelon@lemmy.worldEnglish
    131·
    1 day ago

    Signal (assuming you live in a country that hasn’t blacklisted them for refusing to install backdoors).

    • lepinkainen@lemmy.worldEnglish
      5·
      18 hours ago

      Signal still doesn’t support bots and is shit for bigger groups

      Good for 1-10 friends and 1on1 chats tho

        • lepinkainen@lemmy.worldEnglish
          3·
          8 hours ago

          People criticising Telegram have no idea how big some of the channels there are. They’re stupid big. Like full ass Discord server but with one channel big.

          That needs automated moderation tools - bots as well as built in tools to manage lager groups.

          Signal doesn’t do that at all. It’s a good replacement for group texts, not communities.

          And for me personally: missing first party bot support makes it a complete non-starter.

          • Coldcell@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
            2·
            8 hours ago

            I mean, fair enough on you opinions, but it sounds as if all you’re saying is this one particular messaging tool doesn’t fit your requirements?

            As I see it, (and I may be speculating and/or wrong), supporting bots might worsen some aspects of other users experience. If there necessitates a worsening of other users’ experience in order to support what you’d want to do, at what point should you just use a different app?

            There’s little reasoning for catering to a niche use like huge channels and bots, and tbh that sounds like a dreadful experience to me. Dev time is costly, feature creep is a killer, I don’t see lack of support for unwanted (to me) features as a negative.

            • lepinkainen@lemmy.worldEnglish
              2·
              6 hours ago

              Signal has bit me already. Every single *Claw supports Signal bots, which pretend to be actual people.

              Telegram has explicit first party bot support, a bot is always a bot and identified as such