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The problem with WhatsApp and Signal is that even though it's e2e, it uses your phone number as id which is the least privacy friendly id they could have picked

The problem with WhatsApp and Signal is that even though it's e2e, it uses your phone number as id which is the least privacy friendly id they could have picked.

alexmingoia 6y ago
It’s also impractical for digital nomads like myself who don’t use phone numbers at all. I haven’t used Signal, but what do I do if every X months I have a new phone number? Will it still work if I swap SIM cards?
- GekkePrutser 6y ago
  It will, but you need to keep the sim card with the old number topped up so it doesn't expire, in case you ever need to log in again. The only way is to receive a text or call on that number, just like whatsapp.
- perryizgr8 6y ago
  Whatsapp has an option to change your number.
- Strom 6y ago
  Not sure about Signal, but you can definitely change your phone number on WhatsApp. You will show up as a different person (with the same name) for other people though. The real effect of it is that the chat history will be split between these "persons" for others.
- Marsymars 6y ago
  Not having a stable phone number seems impractical in general. (e.g. You can’t set up 2FA for Apple or Google accounts without a phone number.) More practical is porting a regular number to a SIP service so that you can receive important things via app. (2FA short codes typically don’t work with numbers that are assigned to SIP providers, but work fine you you port over a number from a regular carrier.)
  - alexmingoia 6y ago
    Apple doesn’t require 2FA. I don’t have a Google account. All my accounts with 2FA use an Authenticator app. 2FA with SMS is insecure. If an account needs a phone, I use whatever number is in the SIM I’m using, and then it becomes outdated when I get a new SIM. It’s not practical to pay for a static phone number and SIP service. Phone numbers are stupid. They’re insecure, expensive, and region locked (no such thing as international number, many services only support numbers with specific country code).
    - Marsymars 6y ago
      > Apple doesn’t require 2FA. They do if you want to be able to log in to any of Apple’s developer portal. > It’s not practical to pay for a static phone number and SIP service. It’s cheap to the level of being negligible. Exact cost depends on what number you want to get, but I’ve got a North American number that after initial SIM and porting fees is indefinitely zero-cost. I wish we could do away with phone numbers. I’ve tried to do without, and found it impossible.
xenonite 6y ago
Well, use Threema then.

The problem with WhatsApp and Signal is that even though it's e2e, it uses your phone number as id which is the least privacy friendly id they could have picked.

alexmingoia 6y ago

It’s also impractical for digital nomads like myself who don’t use phone numbers at all. I haven’t used Signal, but what do I do if every X months I have a new phone number? Will it still work if I swap SIM cards?

GekkePrutser 6y ago
It will, but you need to keep the sim card with the old number topped up so it doesn't expire, in case you ever need to log in again. The only way is to receive a text or call on that number, just like whatsapp.
perryizgr8 6y ago
Whatsapp has an option to change your number.
Strom 6y ago
Not sure about Signal, but you can definitely change your phone number on WhatsApp. You will show up as a different person (with the same name) for other people though. The real effect of it is that the chat history will be split between these "persons" for others.
Marsymars 6y ago
Not having a stable phone number seems impractical in general. (e.g. You can’t set up 2FA for Apple or Google accounts without a phone number.) More practical is porting a regular number to a SIP service so that you can receive important things via app. (2FA short codes typically don’t work with numbers that are assigned to SIP providers, but work fine you you port over a number from a regular carrier.)
- alexmingoia 6y ago
  Apple doesn’t require 2FA. I don’t have a Google account. All my accounts with 2FA use an Authenticator app. 2FA with SMS is insecure. If an account needs a phone, I use whatever number is in the SIM I’m using, and then it becomes outdated when I get a new SIM. It’s not practical to pay for a static phone number and SIP service. Phone numbers are stupid. They’re insecure, expensive, and region locked (no such thing as international number, many services only support numbers with specific country code).
  - Marsymars 6y ago
    > Apple doesn’t require 2FA. They do if you want to be able to log in to any of Apple’s developer portal. > It’s not practical to pay for a static phone number and SIP service. It’s cheap to the level of being negligible. Exact cost depends on what number you want to get, but I’ve got a North American number that after initial SIM and porting fees is indefinitely zero-cost. I wish we could do away with phone numbers. I’ve tried to do without, and found it impossible.

xenonite 6y ago

Well, use Threema then.