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This is a take I keep seeing, more or less, and yet Telegram is not an encrypted messaging service for the most part, and so Durov could have moderated but acti

by biztos 2y ago

This is a take I keep seeing, more or less, and yet Telegram is not an encrypted messaging service for the most part, and so Durov could have moderated but actively promoted his not doing so; and the crimes this article leads with, as examples of things that’d get you in trouble in the US too, are said to have been prevalent on Telegram. (Also, maybe it’s nitpicking, but there are very obvious reasons why it’s better to have the Taliban using WhatsApp and the US getting all that metadata and maybe more, rather than the Taliban finding some other channel. If Washington wanted WhatsApp banned in Afghanistan it would’ve happened long ago.) What I can’t figure out is, are these commentators naïve or just piling on for attention or what?

guappa 2y ago
Read the actual charges. Providing an encrypted means of communication is one of the charges.
bigiain 2y ago
> there are very obvious reasons why it’s better to have the Taliban using WhatsApp and the US getting all that metadata and maybe more, rather than the Taliban finding some other channel There are some very obvious opportunities when the Taliban (or enemy de jour, like drug cartels) feel the need to be "finding another channel". https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Trojan_Shield https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Trojan_Shield "Hardened encrypted devices provide an "impenetrable shield against law enforcement surveillance” and are in high demand by TCOs (transnational criminal organizations), thus the shutdown of Phantom Secure in March 2018 left a vacuum for TCOs in need of an alternative system for secure communication. Around the same time, the San Diego FBI branch had been working with a person who had been developing a "next-generation" encrypted device for use by criminal networks. The person was facing charges and cooperated with the FBI in exchange for a reduced sentence. The person offered to develop ANOM and then use his contacts to distribute it to TCOs through existing networks. Before the devices were put to use, however, the FBI, and the AFP had a backdoor built into the communication platform which allowed law enforcement agencies to decrypt and store the messages as the messages were transmitted." I'm still seeing drug busts here in Australia that're attributed to An0m (or which look extremely likely to have used An0m as part of the investigation).

by biztos 2y ago

guappa 2y ago

Read the actual charges. Providing an encrypted means of communication is one of the charges.

bigiain 2y ago

> there are very obvious reasons why it’s better to have the Taliban using WhatsApp and the US getting all that metadata and maybe more, rather than the Taliban finding some other channel There are some very obvious opportunities when the Taliban (or enemy de jour, like drug cartels) feel the need to be "finding another channel". https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Trojan_Shield https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Trojan_Shield "Hardened encrypted devices provide an "impenetrable shield against law enforcement surveillance” and are in high demand by TCOs (transnational criminal organizations), thus the shutdown of Phantom Secure in March 2018 left a vacuum for TCOs in need of an alternative system for secure communication. Around the same time, the San Diego FBI branch had been working with a person who had been developing a "next-generation" encrypted device for use by criminal networks. The person was facing charges and cooperated with the FBI in exchange for a reduced sentence. The person offered to develop ANOM and then use his contacts to distribute it to TCOs through existing networks. Before the devices were put to use, however, the FBI, and the AFP had a backdoor built into the communication platform which allowed law enforcement agencies to decrypt and store the messages as the messages were transmitted." I'm still seeing drug busts here in Australia that're attributed to An0m (or which look extremely likely to have used An0m as part of the investigation).