The only people who need crypto are those who have something to hide - amiright?
Slightly off-topic but does anyone know how (in)secure Whatsapp actually is? I was under the impression it had decent enough encryption to stop casual, trawler-style interception but that it wasn’t particularly secure when faced with a concerted attempt to monitor any given chat.
Is this a million miles away from the truth? When “unnamed officials” say “authorities have a hard time tracking” something, my tinfoil hat starts sparking…
Here’s a good rule of thumb for this sort of thing: China hasn’t banned Whatsapp, therefore it’s not suitable for sensitive communications.
another story had it that stock PS4 voice-chat was some kind of super-unbreakable crypto used by savvy terrorists
Is it too much credit to suggest that at least some of this stupid comes from intel operatives feeding bullshit to journos à la Br’er Rabbit? Oh please don’t use PS4 voice chat, it’s super secure…
But the reality is that criminals will be using crypto soon, if they aren’t already, for the same reason they’re using computers.
My God! Criminals can get computers now? Good thing they can’t get guns or we would all be shot by now!
No, it’s not too much to believe that. I’m certain it’s happening.
Gads, US media has bought this unsubstantiated encryption balloneyshit hook, line and sinker. I tried watching the news last night, but ended up turning on a stupid movie instead because the only thing they were talking about was “should human rights get trampled even more because terr’ists”. It’s fucking depressing.
Europe, take note, enacting legislation that legalizes all the horseshit the NSA has been doing in your countries will not make you safer. Don’t do it. End austerity so your economies will grow, which will open opportunities up for more of your young people. Why is that important? Because disenfranchised youth with no prospect for a comfortable life are real easy to manipulate.
I agree - but part of the reason for Paris is that the North African derivation youth have been disenfranchised for decades. They’ve been jammed into suburbs like Sarcelles, where life has a super bleak outlook. You don’t make it into a corporate lawyer job if you’re from there - it’s impossible - the French still work on relationships and ties for plum jobs.
Those were no-go areas 25 years ago; they’re now fertile ground for revenge. It’s been made into movies, books, all sorts - it’s been entirely visible all the time.
It’s so sad.
You are absolutely right - opportunity and even moderate improvements would banish the phantoms.
I’d be interested in knowing too. And does anyone have any thoughts on Telegram? It sounds good, although the problem is always going to be getting all my friends to switch away from Whatsapp.
Sounds like “encryption technology” is being manipulated into the next scare-phrase, to keep the public timidity and paranoia on a constant simmer. fnord.
Yes, we’ll no doubt be hearing about “crypto-violence” in newspapers soon enough.
The cypherpunks were through this in 90’s. Nothing is changed except the growing power of computers and emergence of new algorithms. Not even the propaganda; the Four Horsemen of the Infocalypse may change order in their formation but they keep riding on.
Edit:
Ya know, if the boneheads would’ve gone for warrants instead of running around FISA, making up0 bullshiut justifications, etc. like they were supposed to, people’s fears of what might happen to their communications and privacy might have been lessened.
I do find it curious that the increasingly intrusive second-by-second spying by corporations across all our devices including our TVs doesn’t quite rise to the same level of concern for some folks.
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