This is the major downside of centralised app stores. On the plain old internet, nobody had to care about the whims of regressive governments. Worst case, the government would try to block the website and often fail and/or face public backlash. Now, the government can just tell google or apple that they don't like the app, and the problem is solved. This is quite tragic for an app like signal because it really does not deal with the country's currency in any shape nor does it have any presence in the country, but because google/apple have to do business in the country, signal takes the fall.
This is one of the big reasons I've chosen to use Android where I can install apks on my device. Though I may not have the "blue bubble" of iMessage so many in the USA seem to associate with higher status
> “Signal has not complied with the guidelines. Services like iMessage do not fall under the traceability clause since the significant social media intermediaries in the nature of messaging services have to comply,” said an official, requesting anonymity.
What does “Services like iMessage do not fall under the traceability clause since the significant social media intermediaries in the nature of messaging services have to comply” mean?
They probably have a method to trace message metadata using the application provider's infrastructure.
It's sort of like a home phone. Law enforcement officials can contact Verizon to learn who you called and who called you, what time, duration of the call, etc.
I think it makes a bit more sense as "significant social media platforms in the guise of messaging services" , since iMessage doesn't function as a social media platform.
It's well known that the Indian government is no friend of an uncensored Internet. Look at the great many well documented instances of them messing around with it:
Indian government is just the reflection of the majority in India. They can do these things because they know that the majority don't care about these issues. Take the same bunch of people in the government and put them in Germany and they would be making pro privacy laws left and right all day.
This is a quick way to further increase Signal's user base. If someone in India does not know about Signal, this type of "don't use it! it's noncompliant!" government behavior will drive more users to the platform.
Many have tried Signal in the past few months here in India because of WhatsApp's privacy policy changes which managed to create quite a buzz. None of my friends stuck around though. Everyone is back to WhatsApp.
They're going to get banned from the AppStore then. The end result will be Signal being forced underground with far fewer users. There's nothing Signal can do, really.
Add: and Signal's centralized server IPs banned. Signal is really weak here; shouldn't have been centralized to begin with.
It sounds as if Signal could comply with this by removing the "forward" button in India, right? Then there is no "first originator" as seen by Signal.
There still is, of course. Cut and paste works, and android's share works, but both of those send the message out of Signal (and perhaps back into Signal).
They say that honest and nonviolent people have no need for self-keyed cryptography, that using it just enables criminals. This is true, but nobody is self-encrypting to help others to prey upon them. They are doing it to prevent becoming a victim. Guess who the predator is….
The cipherpunk future is fundamentally a dystopia. Trust in authority would be a wonderful thing. I actually thought the authoritarian future would be more subtle and well-tolerated, like “Brave New World”, but it’s shaping up a lot like “1984”, and I can’t understand why a central-authority would self-destruct like that, under no force of occupation.
On whitepapes, I surmised that WhatsApp is supposedly meta-connection secured (unless reconstruction is being done by WhatsApp backend).
All the while with Signal app, I’m fairly certain that message content is most secured (than Whatsapp) but is operationally resistant to providing meta-connection info.
Interestingly enough, I find that Matrix (Element iOS app) to be strongest in both aspect of connection metadata and secured message content.
[+] [-] bubblethink|4 years ago|reply
[+] [-] swiley|4 years ago|reply
[+] [-] andix|4 years ago|reply
[+] [-] EthOptimist|4 years ago|reply
[+] [-] grishka|4 years ago|reply
[+] [-] okdjnfweonfe|4 years ago|reply
Wasn't X forced to not have encryption built in due to the US's horrible encryption laws at the time?
[+] [-] bvi|4 years ago|reply
Makes me wonder...are there blockchain-based app stores that could serve as a viable alternative?
[+] [-] vages|4 years ago|reply
What does “Services like iMessage do not fall under the traceability clause since the significant social media intermediaries in the nature of messaging services have to comply” mean?
[+] [-] mactavish88|4 years ago|reply
How ironic
[+] [-] nathanyukai|4 years ago|reply
[+] [-] _wldu|4 years ago|reply
It's sort of like a home phone. Law enforcement officials can contact Verizon to learn who you called and who called you, what time, duration of the call, etc.
[+] [-] exo762|4 years ago|reply
[+] [-] muststopmyths|4 years ago|reply
edit: removed editorializing.
[+] [-] mananvaghasiya|4 years ago|reply
[+] [-] walrus01|4 years ago|reply
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_censorship_in_India
[+] [-] blocked_again|4 years ago|reply
[+] [-] clipradiowallet|4 years ago|reply
[+] [-] 0x5FC3|4 years ago|reply
[+] [-] thepete2|4 years ago|reply
[+] [-] pkphilip|4 years ago|reply
[+] [-] jeswin|4 years ago|reply
Add: and Signal's centralized server IPs banned. Signal is really weak here; shouldn't have been centralized to begin with.
[+] [-] sremani|4 years ago|reply
[deleted]
[+] [-] swiley|4 years ago|reply
Well that seems pretty idiotic. It should be interesting to see how all this works out.
[+] [-] zentiggr|4 years ago|reply
[+] [-] Arnt|4 years ago|reply
There still is, of course. Cut and paste works, and android's share works, but both of those send the message out of Signal (and perhaps back into Signal).
[+] [-] jl2718|4 years ago|reply
The cipherpunk future is fundamentally a dystopia. Trust in authority would be a wonderful thing. I actually thought the authoritarian future would be more subtle and well-tolerated, like “Brave New World”, but it’s shaping up a lot like “1984”, and I can’t understand why a central-authority would self-destruct like that, under no force of occupation.
[+] [-] egberts1|4 years ago|reply
All the while with Signal app, I’m fairly certain that message content is most secured (than Whatsapp) but is operationally resistant to providing meta-connection info.
Interestingly enough, I find that Matrix (Element iOS app) to be strongest in both aspect of connection metadata and secured message content.
[+] [-] unknown|4 years ago|reply
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