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How Signal Became the Private Messaging App for an Age of Fear and Distrust

29 points by AndrewBissell 6y ago

romwell 6y ago
The private messaging app? Depends on where you are. Telegram eats Signal's cake hands down in Russian-speaking countries... and worldwide[1], with 400M DAU vs. maybe 20M for Signal. Note that people flock to Telegram specifically because of privacy and us living in the "age of fear and distrust". The ongoing revolution in Belarus is fueled by Telegram, to give one example. That's not to compare Telegram and Signal on their virtues. Just what is actually the app that people end up using in this context. [1]https://techcrunch.com/2020/04/24/telegram-hits-400-million-monthly-active-users https://techcrunch.com/2020/04/24/telegram-hits-400-million-... [2]https://www.wired.com/story/signal-encrypted-messaging-features-mainstream/ https://www.wired.com/story/signal-encrypted-messaging-featu...
- eindiran 6y ago
  Not that this takes away from your overall point, but that article you cite states that Telegram has 400M monthly active users, not daily.
  - romwell 6y ago
    Thanks, 'twas a typo: both Telegram and Signal numbers are monthly active users (400 vs ~20 MAU)[1]. That article also compares privacy/e2e encryption features. [1] https://beebom.com/whatsapp-vs-telegram-vs-signal/ https://beebom.com/whatsapp-vs-telegram-vs-signal/
GekkePrutser 6y ago
Telegram doesn't encrypt by default. A dangerous point for protesters in Belarus. One forgotten tickbox could lead to jail or worse. But I like Telegram too as it's more open. It had an open API for things like bots and they're not so opposed to using third party clients stop tot can integrate it with things like Matrix. Most of my traffic is just non sensitive group chats anyway. But if I was a protester in a dangerous country I'd use signal for sure. I use both anyway but for most stuff I prefer Telegram.
ncmncm 6y ago
They studiously avoid mentioning any of the criticisms of Signal, or alternatives fielded in response to Signal's failings. I am transitioning to Matrix for those reasons. The problems Marlinspike worries about, such as bringing along the userbase to clients and servers that implement protocol improvements, are real, but seem manageable so far.
- AndrewBissell 6y ago
  Agreed. I find the general blackout of mentions of Matrix in sources like this (or Snowden's Twitter feed) interesting, to say the least. Also seems like Signal isn't sufficiently concerned about being dependent on Amazon for hosting.

29 points by AndrewBissell 6y ago

The private messaging app? Depends on where you are. Telegram eats Signal's cake hands down in Russian-speaking countries... and worldwide[1], with 400M DAU vs. maybe 20M for Signal. Note that people flock to Telegram specifically because of privacy and us living in the "age of fear and distrust". The ongoing revolution in Belarus is fueled by Telegram, to give one example. That's not to compare Telegram and Signal on their virtues. Just what is actually the app that people end up using in this context. [1]https://techcrunch.com/2020/04/24/telegram-hits-400-million-monthly-active-users https://techcrunch.com/2020/04/24/telegram-hits-400-million-... [2]https://www.wired.com/story/signal-encrypted-messaging-features-mainstream/ https://www.wired.com/story/signal-encrypted-messaging-featu...

eindiran 6y ago
Not that this takes away from your overall point, but that article you cite states that Telegram has 400M monthly active users, not daily.
- romwell 6y ago
  Thanks, 'twas a typo: both Telegram and Signal numbers are monthly active users (400 vs ~20 MAU)[1]. That article also compares privacy/e2e encryption features. [1] https://beebom.com/whatsapp-vs-telegram-vs-signal/ https://beebom.com/whatsapp-vs-telegram-vs-signal/

GekkePrutser 6y ago

Telegram doesn't encrypt by default. A dangerous point for protesters in Belarus. One forgotten tickbox could lead to jail or worse. But I like Telegram too as it's more open. It had an open API for things like bots and they're not so opposed to using third party clients stop tot can integrate it with things like Matrix. Most of my traffic is just non sensitive group chats anyway. But if I was a protester in a dangerous country I'd use signal for sure. I use both anyway but for most stuff I prefer Telegram.

ncmncm 6y ago

They studiously avoid mentioning any of the criticisms of Signal, or alternatives fielded in response to Signal's failings. I am transitioning to Matrix for those reasons. The problems Marlinspike worries about, such as bringing along the userbase to clients and servers that implement protocol improvements, are real, but seem manageable so far.

AndrewBissell 6y ago
Agreed. I find the general blackout of mentions of Matrix in sources like this (or Snowden's Twitter feed) interesting, to say the least. Also seems like Signal isn't sufficiently concerned about being dependent on Amazon for hosting.