4 ms·

You also have to trust the source code, or trust a recent audit, then also make sure the build you have kept it's integrity and matches the audit build.

Moodles 6y ago
The question was: do we have any reason to believe it's more secure than weChat? I say yes but those are all valid points.
jdm2212 6y ago
There are degrees of security between "I personally built it from source using a compiler I personally built from source" and "Xi Jinping is CC'ed a plaintext copy of every message". The allegation here is that WeChat is basically the latter. No one makes any remotely similar claim about iMessage or WhatsApp.
- freepor 6y ago
  You forgot "I personally built it from source using a compiler I personally built from source with a micro-compiler that I handcoded in assembly on a computer that I assembled from transistors myself."
  - 9nGQluzmnq3M 6y ago
    But what if the transistors contain microchips that are phoning home? Clearly the only solution is to forage your own silicon for artisanal fabrication of your own chips.
    - LeonB 6y ago
      All of which you did inside a simulated world built for spying on you. There’s no theoretical ability to verify the whole stack.
- jasdfijsflj 6y ago
  How about "Mark Zuckerberg is CC'ed a plaintext copy of every message"
  - MattGaiser 6y ago
    Better Zuckerberg than Xi. Zuckerberg has no power to have a bag put over anyone's head and have them carried away to the river.
    - deleted 6y ago
      [deleted]
    - pinewurst 6y ago
      Not yet anyway - remember his “listening” campaign and seeming murmurs of entering politics. He’s still young, unlike Winnie the Pooh...
      - aplummer 6y ago
        Even if he did enter politics (in America), it’s not at all the same thing.
        pinewurst 6y ago
        I wouldn’t trust him not to use all the tools at his disposal to grasp the levers of power. He’s a stone sociopath IHMO.
- jbombadil 6y ago
  If you have never read "Reflections on Trusting Trust" by Ken Thompson, I wholeheartedly recommend it. It's a short read (3 pages), but absolutely worht your time. https://www.archive.ece.cmu.edu/~ganger/712.fall02/papers/p761-thompson.pdf https://www.archive.ece.cmu.edu/~ganger/712.fall02/papers/p7...
  - notlukesky 6y ago
    Why is your link downvoted?
    - jdm2212 6y ago
      People might've mistaken it for pedantry/condescension? I certainly didn't take it that way (gave it an upvote) -- though I have read that paper, and was thinking of it when I wrote my original comment :)
      - jbombadil 6y ago
        It was not my intention to be condescending. I legitimately enjoyed that paper (the technical part mostly), and thought it was relevant to what you were saying. I've found a lot of many interesting articles in hackernews comments and wanted to share one back.

Moodles 6y ago

The question was: do we have any reason to believe it's more secure than weChat? I say yes but those are all valid points.

jdm2212 6y ago

There are degrees of security between "I personally built it from source using a compiler I personally built from source" and "Xi Jinping is CC'ed a plaintext copy of every message". The allegation here is that WeChat is basically the latter. No one makes any remotely similar claim about iMessage or WhatsApp.

freepor 6y ago
You forgot "I personally built it from source using a compiler I personally built from source with a micro-compiler that I handcoded in assembly on a computer that I assembled from transistors myself."
- 9nGQluzmnq3M 6y ago
  But what if the transistors contain microchips that are phoning home? Clearly the only solution is to forage your own silicon for artisanal fabrication of your own chips.
  - LeonB 6y ago
    All of which you did inside a simulated world built for spying on you. There’s no theoretical ability to verify the whole stack.
jasdfijsflj 6y ago
How about "Mark Zuckerberg is CC'ed a plaintext copy of every message"
- MattGaiser 6y ago
  Better Zuckerberg than Xi. Zuckerberg has no power to have a bag put over anyone's head and have them carried away to the river.
  - deleted 6y ago
    [deleted]
  - pinewurst 6y ago
    Not yet anyway - remember his “listening” campaign and seeming murmurs of entering politics. He’s still young, unlike Winnie the Pooh...
    - aplummer 6y ago
      Even if he did enter politics (in America), it’s not at all the same thing.
      - pinewurst 6y ago
        I wouldn’t trust him not to use all the tools at his disposal to grasp the levers of power. He’s a stone sociopath IHMO.
jbombadil 6y ago
If you have never read "Reflections on Trusting Trust" by Ken Thompson, I wholeheartedly recommend it. It's a short read (3 pages), but absolutely worht your time. https://www.archive.ece.cmu.edu/~ganger/712.fall02/papers/p761-thompson.pdf https://www.archive.ece.cmu.edu/~ganger/712.fall02/papers/p7...
- notlukesky 6y ago
  Why is your link downvoted?
  - jdm2212 6y ago
    People might've mistaken it for pedantry/condescension? I certainly didn't take it that way (gave it an upvote) -- though I have read that paper, and was thinking of it when I wrote my original comment :)
    - jbombadil 6y ago
      It was not my intention to be condescending. I legitimately enjoyed that paper (the technical part mostly), and thought it was relevant to what you were saying. I've found a lot of many interesting articles in hackernews comments and wanted to share one back.