Re:Video Messages and Telescope on Telegram
by kasey_junk on Friday May 19, 2017 @04:38PM
(#14379147)
> the only merit of whatsapp is that it's popular in some countries
whatsapp has a fairly impressive set of merits that check lots of points for people who actually do security work:
- uses a known and vetted protocol
- protocol was implemented with help from known and competent security professionals
- is supported by one of the most resourced and competent private security teams on the planet
- is easy to drive uptake and has impressive network effects
Its major drawback is that it shares metadata with facebook. This may or may not be a big deal to individual users, but on the balance its fairly easy to see why people recommend it.
The closed source thing is largely not a consideration that comes up when you talk with professional security folks, and is a pretty obvious red herring when you think about it.
[note: i'm not a security folk, but i have drinks with them occasionally. I don't use whatsapp or telegram and only very occasionally use signal]
whatsapp has a fairly impressive set of merits that check lots of points for people who actually do security work:
- uses a known and vetted protocol
- protocol was implemented with help from known and competent security professionals
- is supported by one of the most resourced and competent private security teams on the planet
- is easy to drive uptake and has impressive network effects
Its major drawback is that it shares metadata with facebook. This may or may not be a big deal to individual users, but on the balance its fairly easy to see why people recommend it.
The closed source thing is largely not a consideration that comes up when you talk with professional security folks, and is a pretty obvious red herring when you think about it.
[note: i'm not a security folk, but i have drinks with them occasionally. I don't use whatsapp or telegram and only very occasionally use signal]