Even State Department-funded Human Rights Watch admits that authorities combine legal and illegal methods to obtain convictions: https://text.hrw.org/report/2018/01/09/dark-side/secret-origins-evidence-us-criminal-cases

Combining dragnet surveillance with device hacking is intended in the design of both tools. Hence, State Department-funded Signal dupes you into handing over your identity as part of the population-centric mapping. In custody, your phone will be hacked when it is taken away if it’s important.

https://xcancel.com/hannahcrileyy/status/2034273723667161480#m

  • James R Kirk@startrek.websiteBanned from community
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    6 months ago

    This is total alarmist misinformation. The “evidence of terrorism” was not “using Signal” or “carrying a first aid kit”, it was taking part in an armed assault on an immigration facility where a dozen people set off fireworks and shot a police officer with an AR-15.

    The prosecution used the presence of the first aid kit they carried during their armed assault, along with actual messages (not metadata) from a Signal chat to make the case that the attackers planned on using violence.

    There are a lot of problems with this case, IMO the most dangerous part here is that adds legitimacy the (false) idea that “antifa” is an organization that exists. Something the Trump administration has been struggling to prove. This X post takes small details out of context.

    1. Don’t trust anything ever posted to X. Especially something that discourages the use of private messaging apps.

    2. I highly recommend everyone report this this post to your admins and strongly recommend all instance admins ban/warn accounts like OP. If we want the fediverse to catch on it needs to be more factual, not knee jer.

  • floquant@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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    6 months ago

    I really don’t get the big “use signal” push at this point in time because even if it’s private and the encryption is solid, it’s a fucking American company. It’s so easy for letter agencies to get information on their users from them, don’t you realize that they can’t refuse to give out your number if they ask for it and that once they have that your identity and location are immediately and thoroughly compromised? If you are subject to US jurisdiction and could be seen in any way as opposing its government, I really don’t think you should be using it.

    • rumba@lemmy.zip
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      6 months ago

      All giving out your number provides is that you have ever used Signal.

      They’re saying ever using a private chat service is terrorism. That’s not really on Signal.

      • floquant@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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        6 months ago

        All your phone number provides is that you have ever used signal? Not what tower you’re connected to and therefore approximate realtime location? Your full identity via your telco? Social graph and history of your calls and texts?

        I’m not saying it’s their fault or that they are volunteering any information, but that’s how it is for any US-based corporation (doesn’t matter if it’s a nonprofit, any legal entity that can be subpoenaed)

        • xthexder@l.sw0.com
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          6 months ago

          The government already has access to every phone number in existence. They can already track every phone to figure out who attended a protest or whatever. Filtering down to “all phone numbers who’ve ever connected to Signal” doesn’t exactly narrow anything down. They don’t have any metadata about who you were chatting with.

    • James R Kirk@startrek.websiteBanned from community
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      6 months ago

      It’s not a company it’s a nonprofit foundation. And they’ve been audited many times by independent auditors.

      • floquant@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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        6 months ago

        Sorry but both points are irrelevant, nonprofit foundations can still be forced to turn over user information. That is part of following the law so nothing that would need to be hidden to auditors, unless you were talking about encryption audits which is completely besides the point

        • syzygy@lemmy.ml
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          6 months ago

          What data is there for Signal to turn over? Can you prove that they’re keeping messages or logs on their servers that have ‘disappeared’ from all the associated devices?

          • Dessalines@lemmy.ml
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            6 months ago

            Your entire social network graphs, and timestamped message history.

            No one can “prove” signal doesn’t store everything. If you give me ssh access to their server, then I can verify. Otherwise it’s “just trust me bro”.

            • Tinidril@midwest.social
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              6 months ago

              If you give me ssh access to their server, then I can verify. Otherwise it’s “just trust me bro”.

              What do you think an independent autit does?