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If the consequences of sending messages are torture and death, I wouldn't trust any form of electronic communication. That's what face to face meetings are for
by mnm1 8y ago
If the consequences of sending messages are torture and death, I wouldn't trust any form of electronic communication. That's what face to face meetings are for and have always been for. I did not think signal is insecure, but either party could be compromised in other ways like a key logger or other local software that intercepts messages on the device they are composed on. I certainly wouldn't trust any mobile os based app although desktop ones might not necessarily be better even if they both run on a Linux os that's fully open source. Most people are not up against such threats, so in most cases it doesn't matter. For the people that are, they are brave in using such software. I would never place my life in the hands of such software. I simply wouldn't trust any such software with my life. By comparison, the software in my car or on a plane is a different matter but it's also engineered to different standards and has proven itself in a verifiable manner--I haven't died after much driving and many flights.
- angry_octet 8y agoI would trust Signal on iOS, depending on who I was messaging. I'd turn on timed messages though, and the signal number wouldn't be my main phone number. Far less likely to be key logged on iOS. If you don't browse websites on the device that helps. You have to consider that face to face meetings are often observed by third parties, you can be tracked easily, extremely incriminating generally. The other person can talk, and provide evidence of your location. In comparison, sending a signal message is comparatively covert.
- mnm1 8y agoThe other person can show your signal messages to the wrong people just as well as they can talk about the conversation. At least with a conversation, you have plausible deniability although that may not count for much. You do also have to be careful of being recorded. Still, the point is, I would not trust a software platform. Ios or Android doesn't make a difference. They are both easily exploitable and have tons of security bugs no doubt, many that the biggest state actors are likely hoarding as 0 days for just such an occasion. There is no perfect solution.
- angry_octet 8y agoI don't think many experts would call iOS "easily exploitable", especially if you don't install random apps and browse the web. 0-days aren't easily available for places like Iran, Syria, Egypt, etc, or even larger countries like Brazil, and wouldn't be burnt on any ordinary suspect. They still usually rely on the user clicking a link. A locked down iPhone (no BT, WPA2-EAP, VPN, Signal, hard passphrase) is a hard target. If your contact is the type who will record the fading Signal messages with another phone you're already fucked.