Google’s answer to WhatsApp

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Google’s answer to WhatsApp

WhatsApp is the dominant messaging platform in South Africa, and is often the first app to be downloaded on new smartphones.

This is despite a plethora of high-quality apps offering similar features, such as Telegram and Viber.
 
This is more of a response to Apples iMessage. Unless it is cross platform it won’t take off.
As I’ve said before until providers world wide include it in its data bundles as they do with free WhatsApp and available on entry level devices WhatsApp will remain king.

Google have a very bad track record with messaging apps and chop and change every few years. Never mind trusting Google with your privacy this is going to be a big effort to get momentum.
 
Daruk said:
Don't trust either

https://gizmodo.com/why-you-should-stop-using-telegram-right-now-1782557415

What makes you think that Telegram is not just a Soviet spy machine? Their not for profit status?
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That article is bulls**t from start to finish.

Telegram chats are encrypted at all times. If you use default settings, your chats are encrypted in-transit to the Telegram servers and again to the message recipients. All cloud content is not just encrypted at rest but distributed across multiple territories so that no single authority can demand access to usable information. Secret Chats are encrypted directly between users. There is no way to have an unencrypted chat.

Telegram has never leaked user data or had user data hacked. Part of its security is an unknown encryption algorithm. WhatsApp and Signal are allowed in many oppressive countries where Telegram is banned. Telegram's security is legit.

The founder and CEO of Telegram is a Russian exile. The organisation's actions speak louder than words. Russia's government is no a fan of Telegram.

Also, read the article I linked. It makes an excellent argument for avoiding WhatsApp.
 
Bryn said:
You think Facebook is more trustworthy than a non-profit?
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All anyone cares about is how many of their contacts use a platform, even if another platform is better. For most people, 100% of their contacts use whatsapp, and no amount of stating the obvious (that telegram is better in many ways) is going to change anything.
 
Daruk said:
Unknown? You know that an unknown encryption algorithm is a massive red flag, right? If they were to open source anything, it should be the encryption algo otherwise it's loaded with backdoors for all you or I know.

https://m.economictimes.com/magazin...a-during-voice-calls/articleshow/66026727.cms

As for russian exile. Perfect cover. The skripal murderers we're tourists.
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"Though Telegram team is aware of this flaw, it has no plans to fix it anytime soon, as the company believes the feature is working as intended."

There's nothing wrong with the way voice calls are set up. Only your contacts can call you in Telegram by default, and P2P allows a clearer voice call. And if you allow calls from anyone, non-contacts are routed through Telegram servers by default to hide your IP. No one has ever demonstrated the unauthorised access of Telegram user data. Not quite on the level of WhatsApp hackers being able to hack your entire phone.

There is a $300k reward for anyone who can break Telegram's encryption. Of course no one has claimed it yet.

https://core.telegram.org/techfaq#q-why-did-you-go-for-a-custom-protocol
 
saor said:
All anyone cares about is how many of their contacts use a platform, even if another platform is better. For most people, 100% of their contacts use whatsapp, and no amount of stating the obvious (that telegram is better in many ways) is going to change anything.
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Not much of an argument when you can just move some people over and not have that problem. And they'll move people over in turn. Took me no time to get my closest friends and family across, and even colleagues have joined since then. The merits of Telegram speak for itself once anyone tries it.

There are more people using Telegram than you realise. Neighbourhood Watch groups alone are thousands of people across the country.
 
Bryn said:
Not much of an argument when you can just move some people over and not have that problem. And they'll move people over in turn. Took me no time to get my closest friends and family across, and even colleagues have joined since then. The merits of Telegram speak for itself once anyone tries it.
.
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I don't give enough of a **** about which platform I use to attempt getting all my contacts to use Telegram.
 
marine1 said:
People think TG is secure, they also thought WA was.
Nothing is secure anymore
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I wonder why Telegram has never had user data breached then, or anyone claim the $300k bounty for breaking the encryption.

The goal isn't to achieve perfect security anyway, which doesn't exist. Telegram simply achieves the best balance of any messaging app I've seen.

Daruk said:
https://www.theregister.co.uk/2018/02/13/telegram_messaging_app_bug

Telegram has fixed a security flaw in its desktop app that hackers spent several months exploiting to install remote-control malware and cryptocurrency miners on vulnerable Windows PCs.

The programming cockup was spotted by researchers at Kaspersky in October. It is believed miscreants have been leveraging the bug since at least March. The vulnerability stems from how its online chat app handles Unicode characters for languages that are read right-to-left, such as Hebrew and Arabic.


A JavaScript file could be sent as a message attachment to a victim, with the filename crafted to exploit the Unicode bug and cover up the fact it's a .js document. This tricks the mark into opening what appears to be a safe .png attachment. Windows asks the victim if they are sure they want to open the JavaScript file: if they select "Run," or configure their PC to not bother asking, then the script is executed, and malware is downloaded and run.
Click to expand...

You're determined to Google and Google until you find some incriminating evidence against Telegram. Well, keep looking. Telegram user data wasn't compromised in the above, and no one but an absolute moron would click the run dialogue for no good reason and especially not after being sent a file to open by a stranger.

And again, this is peanuts in comparison to WhatsApp security issues.

RedViking said:
Whatsapp is the best.

The other apps are merely shadows of its awesomeness.
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I'd agree with you, but then we'd both be wrong.
 
saor said:
I don't give enough of a **** about which platform I use to attempt getting all my contacts to use Telegram.
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It's rather bizarre to want every last contact to have you in your instant messaging app. I can't wait for the day when my last few friends and family ditch WhatsApp, I can uninstall it and stop receiving unwanted WhatsApp messages and calls from every random person in my list of contacts.

In any case, Telegram is not aimed at people who don't care about the quality of their apps. As you were.
 
Bryn said:
It's rather bizarre to want every last contact to have you in your instant messaging app.
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It's about wanting every contact I contact regularly to be in the same messaging app. Whilst also not caring enough about the difference to spend my time evangelizing to those contacts about the benefits of switching to Telegram.
 
saor said:
I don't give enough of a **** about which platform I use to attempt getting all my contacts to use Telegram.
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Agreed.

As for being hacked, If the hackers want my dick pics they could just ask.
 
Bryn said:
That article is bulls**t from start to finish.

Telegram chats are encrypted at all times. If you use default settings, your chats are encrypted in-transit to the Telegram servers and again to the message recipients. All cloud content is not just encrypted at rest but distributed across multiple territories so that no single authority can demand access to usable information. Secret Chats are encrypted directly between users. There is no way to have an unencrypted chat.
Click to expand...

Do you even understand the difference?

Default settings - The transport is encrypted between you and the server and the server the the recipient. So it's not encrypted and probably stored unencrypted at server level or at some point.

Secret chats (not enabled by default) - The transport and message is encrypted from you through the server to the recipient using some dodgy , home-baked, proprietary method which is unknown and not peer reviewed.

Now ask yourself this - Why not enable this by default and why not use a more industry accepted encryption method? Duh.
 
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