3 ms·
> That's not how Android app signing works. Google has root, so it can change how app signing works at any time. > Both have their pros and cons, and both hav
by jhasse 8y ago
> That's not how Android app signing works.
Google has root, so it can change how app signing works at any time.
> Both have their pros and cons, and both have legitimate reasons to exist.
I just looks to me like whenever someone mentions a pro point of Signal, it's something where WhatsApp shines even more (e.g. "brings end-to-end encryption to the masses", "it's available on the App stores", "better iOS support than something like Tox", ...).
- lorenzhs 8y ago> Google has root, so it can change how app signing works at any time. This argument boils down to "what if the government compels Google to infect your phone with spyware", and it's already been established elsewhere in this thread that using a smartphone for sensitive communication might not be the best idea if the NSA is after you. Regarding advantages of Signal over WhatsApp, I just gave you one in the message you replied to. WhatsApp provides a lot of metadata to their servers (this is necessary for some of their features, like group invite links). And while end-to-end encryption protects the contents of your messages, Facebook can still observe when and how much you chat with whom. Some further advantages off the top of my hat: Signal has reproducible builds (on Android), the Desktop client works when your phone is off. They're also working on private contact discovery (I don't know how far this has progressed): https://signal.org/blog/private-contact-discovery/ https://signal.org/blog/private-contact-discovery/
- lorenzhs 8y agoAlso, the whole “play services are running as root” thing, while repeated often, appears to be just not true: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17727705 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17727705