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Stating that Telegram is unencrypted is incorrect. It offers optional end-to-end encryption; however, by default, it uses encryption in transit. Of course, ther

by kome 2y ago

Stating that Telegram is unencrypted is incorrect. It offers optional end-to-end encryption; however, by default, it uses encryption in transit. Of course, there is a trade-off between convenience and encryption, and having access to all messages on all devices is beneficial. However, technicalities are not the point: both Ukrainians and Russians trust Telegram—despite being at war. Telegram has managed to distribute its servers and legal presence across multiple countries, making it challenging for courts to track. This provides a level of security that American-based entities cannot offer. There is a great discussion by Pinboard on why telegram is more safe, and it is preferred by activists in Hong Kong: https://twitter.com/Pinboard/status/1474096410383421452 https://twitter.com/Pinboard/status/1474096410383421452 "There's a disconnect between critiques of Telegram and its practical use that have made me uneasy about joining technical pile-ons around how it's not really encrypted messaging. Let me use the example of Telegram use in the Hong Kong protests..." If anything, all this animosity toward telegram has always been a bit suspicious to me. But anyway, assume your cellphone to be extremely unsafe.

darthrupert 2y ago
Having in-transit encryption in your communications software is kindergarten level stuff. It's the most minimum of hurdles to pass, so it's not worth mentioning anymore. Thus encryption always refers to E2E encryption in these discussions.
Intermernet 2y ago
Optional E2E encryption is effectively not encryption. The default encryption in transit is useless if you don't trust the server. The argument about convenience is ridiculous. Whatsapp provides better default encryption than Telegram. The (probably deliberate) flaw in Whatsapp encryption is the default backup method, but E2E encryption is enabled by default with no loss in convenience. Telegram is not encrypted by default, and their encryption scheme has been shown to have rookie level mistakes in it. Just because it's "preferred by activists" doesn't mean said activists have any idea about secure communications. I'm not saying that you should jump on Signal (or anything else). I'm saying Telegram is almost certainly broken. Maybe maliciously, maybe accidentally, but almost certainly. For reference, I don't use either Signal or Telegram anymore, but Telegram sets off so many alarms I'd steer clear of it.

by kome 2y ago

darthrupert 2y ago

Having in-transit encryption in your communications software is kindergarten level stuff. It's the most minimum of hurdles to pass, so it's not worth mentioning anymore. Thus encryption always refers to E2E encryption in these discussions.

Intermernet 2y ago

Optional E2E encryption is effectively not encryption. The default encryption in transit is useless if you don't trust the server. The argument about convenience is ridiculous. Whatsapp provides better default encryption than Telegram. The (probably deliberate) flaw in Whatsapp encryption is the default backup method, but E2E encryption is enabled by default with no loss in convenience. Telegram is not encrypted by default, and their encryption scheme has been shown to have rookie level mistakes in it. Just because it's "preferred by activists" doesn't mean said activists have any idea about secure communications. I'm not saying that you should jump on Signal (or anything else). I'm saying Telegram is almost certainly broken. Maybe maliciously, maybe accidentally, but almost certainly. For reference, I don't use either Signal or Telegram anymore, but Telegram sets off so many alarms I'd steer clear of it.