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Assuming that you elect to register with Signal using your Indian number of course, which you are in no way obliged to do.
by hnarn 9y ago
Assuming that you elect to register with Signal using your Indian number of course, which you are in no way obliged to do.
- kuschku 9y agoWell, Moxie’s Signal gives you two options: 1. Use your phone number 2. Don’t use Signal. I don’t see a "don’t use the phone number, but still use Signal" option there.
- ge0rg 9y ago3. use a phone number from a semi-anonymous online VoIP service like https://jmp.chat/ https://jmp.chat/ (can be reached via Tor)
- kuschku 9y agoWhich cost money or can be reused by anyone else. At which point Signal is basically $2.99 per month to use it securely.
- IntronExon 9y ago3. Use a burner phone.
- kuschku 9y agoIn many countries, burner phones require registration with biometrics as well. For example, Germany requires registration of burner phones with ID or passport before any network is allowed to activate the SIM. The ID and passport obviously are linked to your fingerprints and face. Signal is advertised to people in oppressive regimes as a solution to avoid the government from snooping on their messages (this security from nation states is further implied due to their framing of Snowden comments). Requiring an identifier that’s linked to a government ID is the opposite of that.
- IntronExon 9y agoBetween a burner or a VOIP number there seem to be options, and I’m not sure that Signal dropping their requirement would improve the platform.
- kuschku 9y agoAs I said, a burner isn’t an option, as that still requires registration, and a VOIP number costs money. At the stated goal, of being a free app to allow people to avoid government surveillance, Signal is failing horribly.
- IntronExon 9y agoIt sounds like it works well for about 5/6ths of the world’s population.
- kuschku 9y agoA secure messenger that only works when you have a government that respects their citizens privacy isn't very useful, is it?
- IntronExon 9y agoIt works in the US where the govt doesn’t even understand the meaning of the word “privacy” so, yes it seems to work. It works elsewhere too, but understandably it might require money or effort to get going.