3 ms·

I was wondering why can't chat apps be like email apps: i.e., let users point to a private key on their own phone, and publish their public key. Then, just like

I was wondering why can't chat apps be like email apps: i.e., let users point to a private key on their own phone, and publish their public key. Then, just like exchanging secure emails, people transparently chat using the same encrypt-decrypt mechanism? Won't this work?

cassianoleal 4y ago
That's essentially what we had with Jabber/XMPP [0] and OTR [1]. Since the encryption happened client-side, it would also work across networks. There was a time when Google chat, Facebook Messenger and other high profile chat networks could all interconnect through it. [0] https://xmpp.org/ https://xmpp.org/ [1] https://wiki.xmpp.org/web/OTR https://wiki.xmpp.org/web/OTR Edit: typo
- CameronNemo 4y ago
  Now, years after shuttering their XMPP service, Google is complaining about Apple not following "messaging standards" (aka the piece of shit messaging protocol RCS). Shouldn't have worn that petard if you didn't want to be hoisted by it.
  - thaumasiotes 4y ago
    > Shouldn't have worn that petard if you didn't want to be hoisted by it. A petard is a bomb, not a piece of clothing.
    - prettyStandard 4y ago
      A reference to this community quote: > Britta: Shouldn't have worn that petard if you didn't want to be hoisted by it. > Jeff: ...What do you think the expression "hoisted by your own petard" is referencing? > Britta: I guess I just assumed that in the old days a petard was a special outfit like a leotard, with a lot of fancy buckles and loops on it, and that rich people would wear them when they were feeling especially smug, but then poor people would tie a rope through one of the loops, and hoist them up a pole and then let them dangle there as punishment for being cocky. > Jeff: Never look it up. Your explanation is way better. https://www.reddit.com/r/community/comments/7vs6ec/brittas_most_underrated_quote https://www.reddit.com/r/community/comments/7vs6ec/brittas_m... You seem to be referring to the more normal use of it https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hoist_with_his_own_petard https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hoist_with_his_own_petard
      - hackernewds 4y ago
        Was this written by a bot? Makes no sense.
        prettyStandard 4y ago
        https://youtu.be/KuuafUtVte0 https://youtu.be/KuuafUtVte0
    - IncRnd 4y ago
      Being hoisted by your petard is a well-known phrase from Hamlet by William Shakespeare, indicating an ironic reversal, or poetic justice. [1] Yet, it is somewhat of an ironic reversal [2] for you to write that the saying isn't apt. The literal meaning of the phrase is that when your own bomb's explosion blows you backwards that leads to the derivative understanding of having experienced an ironic reversal or poetic justice in whatever situation is being experienced. In todays world we now have the culturally apropos Petard Clothes for custom hoisting. [3] So, we actually have a double entendre [4] that should tell us all not to get hoisted by our own petards when telling HN posters not to wear their bombs. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hoist_with_his_own_petard https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hoist_with_his_own_petard [2] http://changingminds.org/explanations/theories/ironic_reversal.htm http://changingminds.org/explanations/theories/ironic_revers... [3] https://www.zazzle.com/petard+clothing https://www.zazzle.com/petard+clothing [4] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Double_entendre https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Double_entendre
panick21_ 4y ago
That's basically exactly what is happening, What's app just hides if from you. But you can verify each others keys in Whatsapp. If you use Signal, you can do it basically. Same for Matrix. Its just that these systems try to make it so people don't have to know anything about this to use it securely.

cassianoleal 4y ago

That's essentially what we had with Jabber/XMPP [0] and OTR [1]. Since the encryption happened client-side, it would also work across networks. There was a time when Google chat, Facebook Messenger and other high profile chat networks could all interconnect through it. [0] https://xmpp.org/ https://xmpp.org/ [1] https://wiki.xmpp.org/web/OTR https://wiki.xmpp.org/web/OTR Edit: typo

CameronNemo 4y ago
Now, years after shuttering their XMPP service, Google is complaining about Apple not following "messaging standards" (aka the piece of shit messaging protocol RCS). Shouldn't have worn that petard if you didn't want to be hoisted by it.
- thaumasiotes 4y ago
  > Shouldn't have worn that petard if you didn't want to be hoisted by it. A petard is a bomb, not a piece of clothing.
  - prettyStandard 4y ago
    A reference to this community quote: > Britta: Shouldn't have worn that petard if you didn't want to be hoisted by it. > Jeff: ...What do you think the expression "hoisted by your own petard" is referencing? > Britta: I guess I just assumed that in the old days a petard was a special outfit like a leotard, with a lot of fancy buckles and loops on it, and that rich people would wear them when they were feeling especially smug, but then poor people would tie a rope through one of the loops, and hoist them up a pole and then let them dangle there as punishment for being cocky. > Jeff: Never look it up. Your explanation is way better. https://www.reddit.com/r/community/comments/7vs6ec/brittas_most_underrated_quote https://www.reddit.com/r/community/comments/7vs6ec/brittas_m... You seem to be referring to the more normal use of it https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hoist_with_his_own_petard https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hoist_with_his_own_petard
    - hackernewds 4y ago
      Was this written by a bot? Makes no sense.
      - prettyStandard 4y ago
        https://youtu.be/KuuafUtVte0 https://youtu.be/KuuafUtVte0
  - IncRnd 4y ago
    Being hoisted by your petard is a well-known phrase from Hamlet by William Shakespeare, indicating an ironic reversal, or poetic justice. [1] Yet, it is somewhat of an ironic reversal [2] for you to write that the saying isn't apt. The literal meaning of the phrase is that when your own bomb's explosion blows you backwards that leads to the derivative understanding of having experienced an ironic reversal or poetic justice in whatever situation is being experienced. In todays world we now have the culturally apropos Petard Clothes for custom hoisting. [3] So, we actually have a double entendre [4] that should tell us all not to get hoisted by our own petards when telling HN posters not to wear their bombs. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hoist_with_his_own_petard https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hoist_with_his_own_petard [2] http://changingminds.org/explanations/theories/ironic_reversal.htm http://changingminds.org/explanations/theories/ironic_revers... [3] https://www.zazzle.com/petard+clothing https://www.zazzle.com/petard+clothing [4] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Double_entendre https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Double_entendre

panick21_ 4y ago

That's basically exactly what is happening, What's app just hides if from you. But you can verify each others keys in Whatsapp. If you use Signal, you can do it basically. Same for Matrix. Its just that these systems try to make it so people don't have to know anything about this to use it securely.