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Signal is not the place for top secret communications, but it might be the right choice for you – a cybersecurity expert on what to look for in a secure messaging app (theconversation.com)

submitted 1 month ago by florencia@lemmy.blahaj.zone to c/privacy@lemmy.ml

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[-] 9tr6gyp3@lemmy.world 20 points 1 month ago

Actually RCS has encryption in the new spec now, and we could see encrypted RCS messages implemented on iOS and Android within a year.

But even so, use Signal.

[-] Supernova1051@sh.itjust.works 42 points 1 month ago

RCS still leaks metadata like a sieve. Encryption, considering the platforms that exist today (Signal and SimpleX), should not be the minimum requirement. Plain-text messaging should not even be possible in modern secure messaging platforms. The platform should be open source and be engineered to mitigate the collection of metadata - like Signal and SimpleX.

[-] 9tr6gyp3@lemmy.world 2 points 4 weeks ago

Seeing as RCS with encryption based on the MLS standard hasnt been deployed yet, can you show exactly what metadata is leaking?

[-] poVoq@slrpnk.net 2 points 4 weeks ago* (last edited 4 weeks ago)

Well, instead of leaking metadata to Signal, AWS, Cloudflare, Google/Apple and your ISP, like Signal does, RCS only leaks it to your ISP /s

[-] Supernova1051@sh.itjust.works 2 points 4 weeks ago

MLS only deals with encryption and key management, which is great but that's been a "solved" problem since TextSecure (now Signal) introduced the TextSecure Protocol (now the Signal Protocol) in 2013.

What I'm aware is missing with RCS / MLS compared to Signal (someone with more recent knowledge please correct me):

Sealed sender so only the recipient knows who sent the message.
Not storing metadata or logs.
No built in crash reports.
Private contact discovery.
Published government requests providing evidence that they don't have any data.
Open source client.
Looking at the Google Play store, Google's Messenger shares precise location data with third parties, Signal doesn't.
Also on the Google Play store, Google's Messenger app list a lot of data collected. Signal only lists phone number.

[-] BakedCatboy@lemmy.ml 5 points 4 weeks ago

I think they mean that it'll take time for everyone to get it. My carrier still doesn't even have RCS at all.

this post was submitted on 27 Mar 2025

529 points (96.8% liked)

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