WhatsApp, despite being banned in several countries, is being accessed by tens of millions of people through technical workarounds, according to Will Cathcart, the CEO of the messaging platform. Countries like Iran, North Korea, Syria, and China have banned WhatsApp, while others like Qatar, Egypt, Jordan, and the United Arab Emirates restrict certain features. Despite these bans, users are able to access WhatsApp using virtual private networks (VPNs) and WhatsApp's proxy service. While Apple has blocked Chinese iPhone users from downloading WhatsApp, Android users can still download the app. Cathcart also expressed concerns about government moves to ban end-to-end encryption and allow police access to suspected criminals' messages.
Signal, the encrypted-messaging service known for its secure communication, is facing questions about its origins and relationship with the American intelligence apparatus. Signal was initially funded by a $3 million grant from the government-sponsored Open Technology Fund (OTF), which some argue has deeper connections to U.S. intelligence. The current chairman of the Signal Foundation, Katherine Maher, has a history of working as a U.S.-backed agent of regime change and advocating for online censorship. Maher's presence on the board raises doubts about Signal's trustworthiness. Users, including conservative dissidents, should be cautious. Maher's role at Signal is seen as a warning sign for those who believe in a free and open Internet. Maher's view is that managed opinion, using censorship and promotion of dissent, is the better path. The article suggests that Signal's integrity may be compromised by Maher's involvement.
Elon Musk, who once supported Signal for its user privacy protections, now criticizes the app and its leadership. He claims that there are unspecified 'known vulnerabilities' within Signal that were not addressed by the company's leadership. Signal faced backlash from Pavel Durov, CEO of rival app Telegram, who criticized Signal's encryption capabilities and called it an insecure choice for private messaging. However, no evidence has been found that Signal has ties to the US government. Conservative activist Christopher Rufo argued that Signal should be cautious of its trustworthiness, but had no evidence to support his claim. Meredith Whittaker, president of Signal, defended the platform's security and transparency policy. She stated that Signal uses cryptography to protect user data and that the Signal Protocol has stood the test of time.
The controversy surrounding Signal's trustworthiness has been further fueled by Elon Musk and NPR, leading to a culture war debate about the cryptographic integrity of messaging apps. The debate centers around Signal and its competitor, Telegram. The CEO of NPR, Katherine Maher, sits on the board of the Signal Foundation, which has led to insinuations that Signal may be compromised. However, experts argue that Signal is secure and trustworthy due to its open-source and encrypted nature. On the other hand, Telegram lacks end-to-end encryption and is suspected of being back-doored by the Kremlin. The article emphasizes that the issue should be decided based on technology rather than cultural biases [6ff1f32c].