I don't buy his arguments. It's one thing to say we have to be on Google Play Store or we have to use phone numbers despite the privacy implications because that is what people use. But ignoring much of the developing countries (see whatsapp), China or the people who are your strongest user base by saying "you can just" isn't pragmatic at all.
Nor is it actually reasonable that we should expect to or rely on a few people to secure something that should be a fundamental and a fundamental right of communication. Not to rant to much, but it feels like going to parties (conferences) and talking about how much good you do and then being dismissive in the real world is how much of the security industry operates and that Signal has just become the latest excuse to why nothing has to be fixed.
I'll give him credit for the whatsapp integration though. More people in the field should consider working with companies where they can have a lot of impact.
Signal itself works, but since Google is blocked no phones are sold with Google Play Store and even if you hack it onto your phone (which will break when it wants to update play services) it will drain your battery trying to connect to blocked services. Unless you use vpn (which will drain battery by itself and also eventually be blocked), but notifications probably still won't work because of the phones original firmware. So yes it works if you hack it onto your phone and then remove play services and checks the application manually. Until it wants to update the app that is, which is often.
Point. It doesn't really work because it only supports the Google Play Store, even as most Chinese phones can load apps directly (because of the fragmented ecosystem). So at least it doesn't work in the "prevent mass surveillance" way.
I guess maybe it works from the Apple App Store? (which isn't blocked)
I reproduce here the dead message from "uola" I think the message deserves a proper response and not to be flagged.
"Signal itself works, but since Google is blocked no phones are sold with Google Play Store and even if you hack it onto your phone (which will break when it wants to update play services) it will drain your battery trying to connect to blocked services. Unless you use vpn (which will drain battery by itself and also eventually be blocked), but notifications probably still won't work because of the phones original firmware. So yes it works if you hack it onto your phone and then remove play services and checks the application manually. Until it wants to update the app that is, which is often.
Point. It doesn't really work because it only supports the Google Play Store, even as most Chinese phones can load apps directly (because of the fragmented ecosystem). So at least it doesn't work in the "prevent mass surveillance" way.
I guess maybe it works from the Apple App Store? (which isn't blocked)"
Nor is it actually reasonable that we should expect to or rely on a few people to secure something that should be a fundamental and a fundamental right of communication. Not to rant to much, but it feels like going to parties (conferences) and talking about how much good you do and then being dismissive in the real world is how much of the security industry operates and that Signal has just become the latest excuse to why nothing has to be fixed.
I'll give him credit for the whatsapp integration though. More people in the field should consider working with companies where they can have a lot of impact.