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When Apple said that iMessage uses end-to-end encryption, everyone started complaining that it's not real end-to-end since we have to trust Apple for key exchan
by jakobegger 10y ago
When Apple said that iMessage uses end-to-end encryption, everyone started complaining that it's not real end-to-end since we have to trust Apple for key exchange.
Now we have the same thing with What's App: we have to trust them with the key exchange. It's marginally better, since they have an optional way to enable notifications after a key was changed.
I applaud the Guardian to run with the story. Whether to call it a back door / flaw / trade-off is just quarreling over semantics, when the important part is that you need to trust a central service.
If you want to be sure that noone can intercept your messages, use PGP or S/MIME, (preferably encrypting your message on an air-gapped computer)
Saying that we shouldn't worry about state-level actors is a bit naive after PRISM was revealed.
If you are doing something that someone in power might dislike, you should not rely on Whats App.
- jocro 10y ago> Whether to call it a back door / flaw / trade-off is just quarreling over semantics I think this is writing off a significant portion of the meta-story here, semantics matter very much in journalism. While the technical nuances of trust are important, they won't be understood or digested by the average reader. What will be remembered is the headline, which doesn't say "Whatsapp is as secure as iMessage" it just says "Whatsapp has a backdoor". The story you tell is framed by the audience that's listening, and the framing the Guardian chose unfairly paints Whatsapp as not just secure, but less secure than alternatives by singling them out. That's not an accurate story.