3 ms·

well, this is what scares me. because, the conversation may be encrypted (protocol, packets), but still messages can be accessible by the powers that be through

well, this is what scares me. because, the conversation may be encrypted (protocol, packets), but still messages can be accessible by the powers that be through variety of means. especially considering they "forked" it, who knows what they will do with it (log keystrokes, take screenshots, in the disguise of diagnostic reasons?). anytime you are reading a message from your app, or sending a message, the app have all the powers to capture the data in its raw form before transmission, encrypt it with some key that only they have control of, etc. so unless the gov't releases their source code to be truly open (which even then i don't see how you will ever know), you won't get the transparency you need. encryption is such a buzzword, people think anything encrypted means you are fully secure. this is simply false.

Akujin 8y ago
When an encrypted conversation is setup properly with Matrix.org you get a notification every time a new device appears in the chatroom and you have to manually whitelist it. Even if you already whitelisted one of the devices for a known user. Furthermore you can host the server yourself on an HTTPS server. It's way more secure than Facebook messenger or SMS.
Jaepa 8y ago
From the 2nd paragraph: We understand the whole project is going to be released entirely open source (other than the operational bits) – development is well under way and an early proof of concept is already circulating within various government entities. But if it has interop with the matrix, you should just be able to use Riot.
cpa 8y ago
The app is developed for use within the government. In which case, a keylogger in the app makes as much sense as a keylogger on any civil servant's workstation or professional phone. At some point, if you work for the government you have to use and trust the tools at your disposal. You are part of the executive power, after all.
kqr 8y ago
As someone else said: Matrix is an open protocol spec. If they use Matrix, then you can choose to use any client and not just their client. If they require their custom client, it could be argued they are no longer using Matrix.

Akujin 8y ago

When an encrypted conversation is setup properly with Matrix.org you get a notification every time a new device appears in the chatroom and you have to manually whitelist it. Even if you already whitelisted one of the devices for a known user. Furthermore you can host the server yourself on an HTTPS server. It's way more secure than Facebook messenger or SMS.

Jaepa 8y ago

From the 2nd paragraph: We understand the whole project is going to be released entirely open source (other than the operational bits) – development is well under way and an early proof of concept is already circulating within various government entities. But if it has interop with the matrix, you should just be able to use Riot.

cpa 8y ago

The app is developed for use within the government. In which case, a keylogger in the app makes as much sense as a keylogger on any civil servant's workstation or professional phone. At some point, if you work for the government you have to use and trust the tools at your disposal. You are part of the executive power, after all.

kqr 8y ago

As someone else said: Matrix is an open protocol spec. If they use Matrix, then you can choose to use any client and not just their client. If they require their custom client, it could be argued they are no longer using Matrix.