Re:Encrypted Messaging Apps Face New Scrutiny Over Possible ...
by sarciszewski on Tuesday November 17, 2015 @02:04AM
(#10579597)
> meanwhile even encryption vendors get sloppy and wrong.
What is an encryption vendor, exactly?
Is Open Whisper Systems an encryption vendor? They're pioneers in secure messaging, and they give it away for free. https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/signal-private-messenger/id8...
Is Paragon Initiative Enterprises an encryption vendor? We published Halite, a PHP library to wrap libsodium and make it even harder to use incorrectly. (Users don't even have to know what a nonce is.) https://paragonie.com/project/halite
Or are you speaking about software vendors that erroneously implement their own cryptography features? If so, I totally agree. They do sloopy work.
It's one thing to ask a cell member, hey, here's a phone, it only has this app on it. Don't mod it, don't do anything but use this app.
Versus, hey, please implement a secure encryption protocol and make sure there are no exploitable bugs.
Also, if the government controls the carriers, they ultimately control what can run on the handset [if they choose to be draconian].
Also, for a big enough growth market, I think they'd be willing to centralize encryption. They'll outwardly say, no impossible, can't be done. Host country will say, sorry, you can't sell here, can't be done. Secret high-level talks happen and mysteriously the handsets are available again.