This setup also makes it relatively easy to find other people you know who use Signal. It should be noted that contacts are stored locally only and cannot be accessed by the Signal Foundation. One of the main criticisms of Signal is that users must register with a valid phone number to match contacts. But its argument that this will improve user security is a valid one. Signal is withdrawing SMS support for Android devices, which removes one of its more unique selling points. This is a particular concern because Signal uses Amazon Web Services (AWS) to host its infrastructure, which is subject to legal demand from the US government. In theory, this could result in users’ metadata and data (but not messages) being compromised at the server level. However, the app itself has not been audited, and some security concerns (new window) exist around Signal’s reliance on Intel Software Guard Extensions (SGX). This is a claim that has been proven in court (new window). Only “the date and time a user registered with Signal and the last date of a user’s connectivity to the Signal service”. But unlike WhatsApp and other third-party apps that use the protocol, the Signal app (new window) is 100% open source.Ĭrucially, Signal keeps almost no metadata related to the app’s usage. These include WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, and Skype. The Signal Protocol is open source, professionally audited for security vulnerabilities (new window), and widely admired (new window) for its cryptographic strength.īecause the protocol is so good, it’s used by various third-party messaging apps to provide secure end-to-end encryption for messages. Signal (new window) uses an end-to-end messaging protocol developed by the Signal Foundation (new window), a non-profit organization founded by cryptographer and privacy activist Moxie Marlinspike.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |