Signal is finally bringing its secure messaging to the masses

Re:Signal is finally bringing its secure messaging to the ma... by tptacek on Friday February 14, 2020 @01:24PM (#22328809)

I understand why people like Matrix and wish that project the best of luck, but it is not comparable to Signal as privacy technology. The last time Matrix was discussed here, just a few weeks ago, the network couldn't even require support for E2E encryption, apparently because too many of its clients didn't have it working.

How long have people been watching and discussing Matrix on HN? It feels like a long time. It's 2020 now. It has never been possible to send an unencrypted message on Signal.

People should use Matrix if they like Matrix. But they should not be suggesting to random strangers that Matrix is as safe as Signal.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Signal is finally bringing its secure messaging to the ma... by Arathorn on Friday February 14, 2020 @03:40PM (#22330176)

> The last time Matrix was discussed here, just a few weeks ago, the network couldn't even require support for E2E encryption, apparently because too many of its clients didn't have it working.

Ironically, we turned on E2EE by default on the develop branches of Riot (the main client) 12 days ago at FOSDEM: https://fosdem.org/2020/schedule/event/matrix/. It will go live across the whole network in the next release, complete with cross-signing for key verification.

And in the last two weeks, two more independent E2E-capable client implementations popped up - one in Dart (https://gitlab.com/famedly/famedlysdk/) and one in Rust (https://github.com/poljar/nio-rust). Video of the Dart/Flutter one in action is pretty cool https://youtu.be/nm36pt2rHcI :)

So yes, we're not as monomaniacal about privacy at any cost as Signal, but we're catching up.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Signal is finally bringing its secure messaging to the ma... by maqp on Saturday February 15, 2020 @12:15AM (#22333422)

So what percentage of Matrix users will now be using E2EE chats? Is it both groups and one-on-one chats or will there exist disparity between the two? Does the app prompt enabling E2EE in rooms where it's not enabled?

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Signal is finally bringing its secure messaging to the ma... by tptacek on Saturday February 15, 2020 @12:20AM (#22333441)

The more important question is "at what point will it be impossible to use Matrix in an non-E2EE mode".

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Signal is finally bringing its secure messaging to the ma... by iudqnolq on Friday February 14, 2020 @01:47PM (#22329063)

> It has never been possible to send an unencrypted message on Signal.

Irrelevant nitpick, but hold down on the send button and select "Insecure SMS"

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Signal is finally bringing its secure messaging to the ma... by Frondo on Friday February 14, 2020 @04:06PM (#22330402)

A nitpick on that solution (that no longer applies to me, because I no longer use an Android device):

It isn't persistent. Signal always defaults to secure messaging, which caused me regular headaches when I used it. More than a few people I knew installed Signal, used it briefly (or not at all), and went back to sms. Signal would always default to sending securely, and I'd always send these people a message that they'd never see, because they were no longer using Signal.

After some time I'd realize they didn't get it and would have to resend as an insecure sms. Missed more than a few time-critical communications because of that.

I really, really wish they'd made it a per-contact default I could have set.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Signal is finally bringing its secure messaging to the ma... by haffenloher on Friday February 14, 2020 @04:39PM (#22330668)

That's been fixed a few months ago. The setting now sticks until you manually change it back or your contact replies with a Signal message.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Signal is finally bringing its secure messaging to the ma... by tialaramex on Friday February 14, 2020 @02:21PM (#22329411)

On Android, in the mode where Signal is replacing your SMS messaging app.

Presumably (I don't have one) iPhones lack this feature as Signal can't replace Apple's messaging app inside the Walled Garden.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Signal is finally bringing its secure messaging to the ma... by iudqnolq on Friday February 14, 2020 @02:51PM (#22329710)

I don't know about iPhones, but the option still appears in Signal for Android even if you don't use it as the default SMS app.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Signal is finally bringing its secure messaging to the ma... by tptacek on Friday February 14, 2020 @02:18PM (#22329386)

There is no button I seem to be able to long-press on iOS Signal that gives me that option. Can you be more specific?

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Signal is finally bringing its secure messaging to the ma... by tialaramex on Friday February 14, 2020 @02:25PM (#22329454)

They're talking about the Android app. In Android the application which sends messages can be replaced, and so Signal offers to replace it, as a result it needs to be able to send old-fashioned SMS messages when the correspondent doesn't seem to have Signal.

Your iPhone doesn't let anybody do that, just like it doesn't let Mozilla provide a different web browser and so on. This has upsides and downsides for security which I'm sure you've already thought about, for me it's a good reason not to own an iPhone, but the rationale for the opposite decision is sound.

[ Parent | on HN ]