5 ms·

Thank you. Now why can't the service be used without a phone number? Phones leak data that remove privacy.

Moldoteck 3y ago
afaik that's their next step- introduction of usernames. Or you can use Element/Matrix, that is based on signal encryption protocol but does not need phone nr
- blitzar 3y ago
  > afaik that's their next step- introduction of usernames In the time that usernames not phone numbers have been their "next step" they have introduced; gifs, encrypted audio and video calls, a built in scam crypto payment scheme, snapchat stories clone and a cryptographic upgrade to defeat quantum computing. Changing from phone number to username is apparently hard.
  - Moldoteck 3y ago
    as they said - all their infra was relying on mobile phones, so maybe all other features are really easier to implement compared to rewriting all architecture and providing backwards compatibility
    - pizzafeelsright 3y ago
      Replace int with uuid?
      - Moldoteck 3y ago
        Afaik source code is open, maybe you can contribute if you think that's that easy
- boring_twenties 3y ago
  Source on Matrix being "based on signal encryption protocol?" I'm pretty sure that's wildly incorrect
  - ebb_earl_co 3y ago
    I went digging for information on this because somewhere in my mind this claim was installed as true, but your skepticism re-activated my skepticism. It seems that the Matrix protocol offers optional end-to-end encryption on a room-by-room basis via Double Ratchet Algorithm that was introduced by the Signal Protocol [0]. This is the academic paper that Wikipedia cites for that claim [1]. [0] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Signal_Protocol#Influence https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Signal_Protocol#Influence [1] https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-319-45982-0_22 https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-319-45982-0_...
    - boring_twenties 3y ago
      So it uses a part of the Signal protocol. That is interesting, and I did not know that, but that does not mean it uses the Signal protocol in its entirety.
      - tcfhgj 3y ago
        He was talking about the encryption of the Signal eptocol, which explicitly doesn't include stuff like message format. The core idea of the signal protocol is the ratcheting algorithm, which provides the actual qualitative security benefits, this the only real important thing. Also he was explicitly stating it is based on it, I feel like you are arguing just, because you were so sure yet so wrong in your previous comment
        boring_twenties 3y ago
        I see, okay, I suppose you guys are probably right. I was only "pretty sure" in my original comment, not "so sure!" :)
marssaxman 3y ago
Because it was created to be a secure replacement for text messaging. I gather that in some parts of the world people don't use text messages so much anymore, so this may not seem obvious, but in the US, Signal was primarily adopted as a secure alternative to SMS. People who routinely texted each other's phone numbers could simply install Signal and continue doing exactly that, with the added benefit of encryption.

afaik that's their next step- introduction of usernames. Or you can use Element/Matrix, that is based on signal encryption protocol but does not need phone nr

blitzar 3y ago
> afaik that's their next step- introduction of usernames In the time that usernames not phone numbers have been their "next step" they have introduced; gifs, encrypted audio and video calls, a built in scam crypto payment scheme, snapchat stories clone and a cryptographic upgrade to defeat quantum computing. Changing from phone number to username is apparently hard.
- Moldoteck 3y ago
  as they said - all their infra was relying on mobile phones, so maybe all other features are really easier to implement compared to rewriting all architecture and providing backwards compatibility
  - pizzafeelsright 3y ago
    Replace int with uuid?
    - Moldoteck 3y ago
      Afaik source code is open, maybe you can contribute if you think that's that easy
boring_twenties 3y ago
Source on Matrix being "based on signal encryption protocol?" I'm pretty sure that's wildly incorrect
- ebb_earl_co 3y ago
  I went digging for information on this because somewhere in my mind this claim was installed as true, but your skepticism re-activated my skepticism. It seems that the Matrix protocol offers optional end-to-end encryption on a room-by-room basis via Double Ratchet Algorithm that was introduced by the Signal Protocol [0]. This is the academic paper that Wikipedia cites for that claim [1]. [0] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Signal_Protocol#Influence https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Signal_Protocol#Influence [1] https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-319-45982-0_22 https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-319-45982-0_...
  - boring_twenties 3y ago
    So it uses a part of the Signal protocol. That is interesting, and I did not know that, but that does not mean it uses the Signal protocol in its entirety.
    - tcfhgj 3y ago
      He was talking about the encryption of the Signal eptocol, which explicitly doesn't include stuff like message format. The core idea of the signal protocol is the ratcheting algorithm, which provides the actual qualitative security benefits, this the only real important thing. Also he was explicitly stating it is based on it, I feel like you are arguing just, because you were so sure yet so wrong in your previous comment
      - boring_twenties 3y ago
        I see, okay, I suppose you guys are probably right. I was only "pretty sure" in my original comment, not "so sure!" :)

marssaxman 3y ago

Because it was created to be a secure replacement for text messaging. I gather that in some parts of the world people don't use text messages so much anymore, so this may not seem obvious, but in the US, Signal was primarily adopted as a secure alternative to SMS. People who routinely texted each other's phone numbers could simply install Signal and continue doing exactly that, with the added benefit of encryption.