4 ms·

It's not a dumb question at all. I bet you that 99% of criminals already use Signal. These ones were dumb enough not to use it and got caught If you want a Sig

It's not a dumb question at all. I bet you that 99% of criminals already use Signal. These ones were dumb enough not to use it and got caught If you want a Signal-like app that doesn't need a phone number you can use www.groupsapp.online

years3500 6y ago
You should have disclosed that groupsapp is your app. How's it better than signal in terms of security other than not requiring phone number? How is the E2EE implemented? Is it open source?
- collaborative 6y ago
  Indeed, I disclose here that I am the developer. It's not better or worse, it's different. You can see a list of features in the link, that should be better than me writing them here (main security pluses are: doesn't read from phone book, email can be masked, sent messages can be deleted even after having been read, and there is a self-destruct mechanism) E2EE is implemented with RSA+AES. iOS uses keychain and CommonCrypto. Android uses a modified BouncyCastles. I'll probably open source the code once I've figured out the licensing details
  - years3500 6y ago
    Thank you.
    - collaborative 6y ago
      Welcome :)
deleted 6y ago
[deleted]
INTPenis 6y ago
Or even better, why don't they have their own synapse network with proper PKI and key rotation? Because anyone who can do that wouldn't waste their lives workin for criminals when they can make safe money legally.
- a2tech 6y ago
  Thats exactly what the Mexican cartels had until the guy that ran it flipped on them. They even had their own cell towers in remote areas of Mexico.
- Nextgrid 6y ago
  > anyone who can do that wouldn't waste their lives workin for criminals when they can make safe money legally The skills required to set up a secure communications network aren't that valued (as in it won't make you a millionaire) in the legal world, and even less so in Europe where IT salaries are absolutely terrible.
  - INTPenis 6y ago
    It will allow you to live comfortably at least. Look I know because I've been between those two worlds. When I was around criminals I had the option of working for them for money and would probably make more than I do today because it would be tax free. But it wouldn't be millions because I'd be in the background helping out with IT infra and policy. So if you're smart you take less money to be left as far outside as possible. The problem is that it's not possible to be outside of that world. You will be taken advantage of. You will be a golden goose that everyone wants a part of just because you can manage their IT securely. So I was smart and got a safe IT job where I make enough to live very comfortably, work where I want, practically when I want and with people who are not openly sociopaths.
    - Nextgrid 6y ago
      What I meant is that if someone doesn't have a moral problem with breaking the law, US tech wages are more likely to sway them towards the right path (just because of the risk aversity) than EU wages where IT isn't well-compensated. I know as well because when starting my career I had to make a choice - if it wasn't for a stroke of luck I may have had to pick the wrong path out of desperation (whether I would've made it anywhere is another question - sounds like you looked into it farther than I did). Thankfully everything worked out and I haven't needed to be on the wrong side of the law, but this was down to luck - you can very well have the skills that would pay well in the criminal world while being stuck in a situation where you can't get much out of those skills in the legal world, so I disagree with the idea that having those skills automatically gives you the option to make a good living legally.

years3500 6y ago

You should have disclosed that groupsapp is your app. How's it better than signal in terms of security other than not requiring phone number? How is the E2EE implemented? Is it open source?

collaborative 6y ago
Indeed, I disclose here that I am the developer. It's not better or worse, it's different. You can see a list of features in the link, that should be better than me writing them here (main security pluses are: doesn't read from phone book, email can be masked, sent messages can be deleted even after having been read, and there is a self-destruct mechanism) E2EE is implemented with RSA+AES. iOS uses keychain and CommonCrypto. Android uses a modified BouncyCastles. I'll probably open source the code once I've figured out the licensing details
- years3500 6y ago
  Thank you.
  - collaborative 6y ago
    Welcome :)

deleted 6y ago

[deleted]

INTPenis 6y ago

Or even better, why don't they have their own synapse network with proper PKI and key rotation? Because anyone who can do that wouldn't waste their lives workin for criminals when they can make safe money legally.

a2tech 6y ago
Thats exactly what the Mexican cartels had until the guy that ran it flipped on them. They even had their own cell towers in remote areas of Mexico.
Nextgrid 6y ago
> anyone who can do that wouldn't waste their lives workin for criminals when they can make safe money legally The skills required to set up a secure communications network aren't that valued (as in it won't make you a millionaire) in the legal world, and even less so in Europe where IT salaries are absolutely terrible.
- INTPenis 6y ago
  It will allow you to live comfortably at least. Look I know because I've been between those two worlds. When I was around criminals I had the option of working for them for money and would probably make more than I do today because it would be tax free. But it wouldn't be millions because I'd be in the background helping out with IT infra and policy. So if you're smart you take less money to be left as far outside as possible. The problem is that it's not possible to be outside of that world. You will be taken advantage of. You will be a golden goose that everyone wants a part of just because you can manage their IT securely. So I was smart and got a safe IT job where I make enough to live very comfortably, work where I want, practically when I want and with people who are not openly sociopaths.
  - Nextgrid 6y ago
    What I meant is that if someone doesn't have a moral problem with breaking the law, US tech wages are more likely to sway them towards the right path (just because of the risk aversity) than EU wages where IT isn't well-compensated. I know as well because when starting my career I had to make a choice - if it wasn't for a stroke of luck I may have had to pick the wrong path out of desperation (whether I would've made it anywhere is another question - sounds like you looked into it farther than I did). Thankfully everything worked out and I haven't needed to be on the wrong side of the law, but this was down to luck - you can very well have the skills that would pay well in the criminal world while being stuck in a situation where you can't get much out of those skills in the legal world, so I disagree with the idea that having those skills automatically gives you the option to make a good living legally.