san.com/cc/telegram-alters-privacy-policy-says-it-will-give-user-info-to-authorities/

Big news following Telegram's recent legal issues in France that the company will now provide phone numbers and IP addresses to authorities for "valid legal requests."

Telegram as a messaging app was long-seen as a beacon of privacy amongst other services, and that's now gone.

How do we feel about this? Does the erosion of privacy due to truly nefarious acts (trafficking, children, etc) justify the move?

If not, how do we effectively combat these issues if our technology allows the perpetrators protections?

It's a tricky subject, but one where I lean towards "digital life will never be private."

I don't understand why Telegram was seen as a beacon of privacy.
From my understanding it has zero encryption where WhatsApp has 100% end-to-end encryption.

Sept 24, 2024 23:28:49 GMT iNCY said:

I don't understand why Telegram was seen as a beacon of privacy.
From my understanding it has zero encryption where WhatsApp has 100% end-to-end encryption.

I don’t use it, but that’s the rep online.

Regardless, what’s your view on the bigger issue?

I mostly remember Telegram as a place where a lot of rightists frustrated with shadowbans, or just outrights bans, on places like Twitter went at the height of lockdowns. Like Gab and Parler (which was actually hot for a minute before Amazon kicked it off of the Internet), it's a place for alternative viewpoints ... not privacy. There can be no reasonable expectation of privacy on any kind of social media.

Sept 24, 2024 23:35:05 GMT KJ said:

Sept 24, 2024 23:28:49 GMT iNCY said:

I don't understand why Telegram was seen as a beacon of privacy.
From my understanding it has zero encryption where WhatsApp has 100% end-to-end encryption.

I don’t use it, but that’s the rep online.

Regardless, what’s your view on the bigger issue?

It's got to the point where we can have no expectation of privacy online... I don't like it, but it's fact.

The encrypted apps like WhatsApp are still the most secure, but they can be decrypted. There is already a way that they can find child exploitation material without decrypting.

What do you do though... There have been claims even the TOR network has been intercepted by the FBI.
we had a case in Australia where the federal police promoted a secure messaging app to the underworld through their informants, but they had access to everything and did mass arrests.