Hi :) I know that Telegram is not save and not a good messenger if you are a privacy-geek. Sadly some parts of my family still think so. I brougth up the arguments, that they are cooperating with Russia, that they or closed-source on the server-side and that e2ee is not on by default and only available for 1-on-1 chats.
My question now is, if you gals and guys might have some other arguments or sources I could use.
I don’t want to convince anyone to switch away from Telegram (because I am no missionary :D) I just want people to understand the risks of using Telegram.
Can we be real for a minute though?
It’s still better than not having it as an option.
By telegram existing, it diversifies the non private messaging landscape. It’s obviously not better than actually secure and/or private services, but the more options that are out there, the less centralization there is, which is a net positive.
You just have to be aware of its limitations and don’t use it for anything significant. In that regard it’s no worse than something like discord.
You already covered the warnings about not trusting it for privacy or security, so that’s really the beat you can do in informing people. Once you’ve done your due diligence for the people you care about, you gotta let them do what they’re gonna do. It’s either that or go hard and refuse to communicate on anything other than the services you deem best for your preferences and hope for the best
you are correct and it is true that it is better to have many options. Although it is a little iffy that still many people belive in the fact, that it is private and secure.
Also I totally agree on what you are saying: dont push people into something they dont want simply explain the possible downsides and move on.
I’d still wouldn’ t use it so communicating with me is will still not be done via Telegramm :D
WIRE or Signal. Granted, convincing your people to move with you is like trying to get an act of Congress in play.
sad but very true 🙈
People always going on about signal, but it still requires phone number, but never hear talk of threema, threema is reasonably solid choice for privacy.
hm I dont really agree on this. it is a swiss service (i think) but it is all closed source so that is a red-flag for me (if talking about privacy or transparency).
Yeah good point, the closed source def is not ideal. Hmm back to signal as best option??
well I’d say signal is one of the best options as there are many others. Regarding the phonenumber: as far as I know, it is stored hashed so signal does not really know your phonenumber. so this would not concern me.
How about: Signal is better? Though, they recently were caught with some unencrypted shit on the desktop client.
Caught? It was like kinda obvious. You could always locate your Signal folder where everything is downloaded and just see all pictures…
I ignored this flaw as I kept my PC Luks encrypted, but a friend on Windows might not, where everyone with physical access could read everything.
So, yeah. I also dislike the idea that its not encrypted in some sort of way.
Sauce? I tried searching and couldn’t find anything (at least not on the first page of results). Thanks.
Basically, anyone who can read your home directory could decrypt your Signal database. That’s about typical of traditional desktop applications, but questionable for security-oriented software. Mac OS and (sometimes) Linux have more robust credential management options, and Signal signaled (yes, pun intended) its intent to adopt them.
I feel that if someone can read your home directory, signal isn’t your worst worry. However, it’s still an issue and I’m glad they’re going to move to better security.
I’m inclined to agree, and said so in the linked thread.
Telegram is the best social network. Not so much a private messenger.
As for risks… http://kremlingram.org/ has the Russian ties well-documented, even if theystretch the evidence at times, the latest border cross leaks are proofs enough
A solid privacy conscious youtuber, The Hated One, just published a video on this exact topic. It’s very detail oriented and should be easy for anyone to follow along. Here’s the link: https://youtube.com/watch?v=A8ZXDiQLH9I
awesome, thanks for the link, I will have a look 👍
Telegram is not just IM. Open the search and search for channels. Get creative, they have keyword filters. City name is always a good start. Check the channels with ❄️ and 🍄 emojis. This is where people are scammed for drugs. Maybe sometimes not scams.
A lot happens on Telegram, and it’s right behind that little search icon.
reading my post would’ve help ;)
Quite simple: Telegram is not end-to-end encrypted by default, that means that they can read all your chats if they want to.
Better switch to Signal.
