Summary
U.S. officials are urging Americans to use encrypted messaging apps like Signal and WhatsApp after a massive cyberespionage campaign, dubbed “Salt Typhoon,” targeted telecom giants AT&T, Verizon, and others.
Linked to Chinese hackers, the attack compromised call metadata, live phone calls, and sensitive surveillance systems used by law enforcement.
Officials warn the breach is unresolved and emphasize encryption to safeguard communications.
The hack is seen as a major intelligence-gathering effort rather than election interference.
good luck trying to get everyone you talk to to get on board, with everyone just going about life as if we haven’t just switched to fascist dictatorship
the vast, vast majority of people didn’t care about the surveillance when snowden spelled it out; they don’t care now, and they won’t ever care
Not to mention that for years, they’ve been pushing the narrative that using encryption means you have something to hide, and you’re probably a terrorist. And that gives them the right to mandate backdoors and break encryption.
I keep spouting off about how cops use geofencing and a bunch of peter theil tangent companies are contracting with cops. Flock safety is selling cops drones and leasing cameras to cops, they also use the cops to get companies to install backdoor access to their cameras. So clever to use cops as sales and pr. But no one reads about it. They just listen to the capitalist media spew how 90% of crime is now solved thanks to this company, and other erroneous statements. The propaganda is wildly out of control.
But they want backdoors in the encryption…because it’s too much work to go through proper channels to get data for themselves. Can’t have it both ways. If LE is going to have access then hackers are going to have access through the same means. Whether it’s companies that give LE a backdoor into their systems or the encryption itself has a backdoor, the weakest link is the only relevant measure of security.
I’ve been trying to get my family to use encrypted chat apps like Signal FOR YEARS. They just don’t give a shit. Convenience is more of a priority for them. Unfortunately, I think this is true of most people.
But I thought encryption was bad and un-American?
What options are there? Signal is not viable, because it requires a special type of phone number to sign up, so can’t be used on desktop. WhatsApp is proprietary. Matrix took me 8 tries to find a server that would let me sign up, and then the client wouldn’t allow me to send private messages.
What’s the signal issue? I use signal on my desktop. Can you not create an account without a phone number? I thought they added usernames a while back.
Edit: nevermind, it appears you do still need to provide a phone number to sign up, even with the usernames and desktop clients.
I use Matrix for private messages. If you found a server that suits you, it might be worthwhile to try it with a different client.
- Drops messages if they’re not picked up within (by default) 21 days.
- Can’t use one account on multiple independent devices.
- Adding contacts requires copy/paste of a large link or QR code; can’t just tell them a short address over the phone.
- No group calls.
- Venture capital funding makes its future uncertain.
Last time I investigated it was a few months ago; it’s possible that it might have made some improvements since then.
