- cross-posted to:
- [email protected]
- cross-posted to:
- [email protected]
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Signal is finally delivering the stuff we have all been waiting for. First, they implemented post quantum cryptography in the protocol in September, then we got message editing, and now we will finally get usernames. Awesome!
Finally
Annoyingly, this doesn’t mean that you can register without a phone number. I hope that this is only the first step towards making that happen and not some sort of compromise of the original goal.
I still use Signal because I think it’s still the best tool so far (that has people I know using it), but I’m always iffy about services using phone numbers as their primary identifier.
The world would be a substantially better place if Signal would 1) Not require phone numbers, and 2) Allow 3rd-party clients. While they’re at it maybe they could also add a volume control to the desktop client and then not push so many damn updates.
I haven’t had a single complaint in my few months if using it.
That being said, I have 3 people to use it with so on average have only gotten about 20 minutes per week.
I will say that the WiFi calling on their app is far superior to the samsung’s drag down buttons.
*Yawn!* Wake me up when they stop requiring phone numbers to sign up.
Can we please just have an app for our Android tablets?
Try Molly.
Dug pushers everywhere man.
This is how Signal should have been designed in the first place.
Without phone-number based contact finding signal wouldn’t be relevant enough to matter.
Security and privacy be damned.
IRC, AIM, and BBM did ok without it. We humans like talking to each other. We figure it out.
Those were before the smartphone era.
Humans like to talk to each other, but when an easier choice exist the slightly harder one doesn’t stand a chance.
None of those are relevant today, phone numbers still are.
I will spam every contact I have with this information, it’s time to people to start making the switch
So it’s instant messaging with encryption?
Pretty much. Signals servers just initiate connection between clients, who in turn negotiate parameters with each other so that messages can be encrypted and sent privately between the clients. The messages never has to touch Signals servers, unless you’ve turned on certain features. It’s what you could call a “peer-to-peer chat”.
It’s apps for Android and iOS are available on GitHub, as well as libraries dedicated to the Signal protocol that you can use and implement in your own projects.
So it’s transparent, private and secure. Pretty boss. Waiting for someone to correct me on this one ^^;
I’m 99% sure that signal isn’t peer to peer. Afaik all messages go through signal’s servers, but they’re end to end encrypted so the server can’t see message contents, or who the messages are coming from.
The only thing that’s peer to peer are calls, but you can turn on ‘Always relay calls’ from settings to relay them through Signal’s servers.
@ijeff Finally, they are on par with Telegram here as well.
I don’t use Telegram but they don’t enable encryption by default? Last time I used Telegram I needed a phone number still, so, I’d say Signal has always been on top.
they don’t enable encryption by default?
Indeed, only secret chats use it, that’s it’s biggest drawback.
Last time I used Telegram I needed a phone number still
Yes, for registering purposes. However, you can set up your own username and give that to whoever you want instead. You can even restrict some or all people from seeing your actual number.
