Submitted via IRC for Fnord666
The team behind secure messaging app Signal says Amazon has threatened to drop the app if it doesn't stop using an anti-censorship practice known as domain-fronting. Google recently banned the practice, which lets developers disguise web traffic to look like it's coming from a different source, allowing apps like Signal to evade country-level bans. As a result, Signal moved from Google to the Amazon-owned Souq content delivery network. But Amazon implemented its own ban on Friday. In an email that Moxie Marlinspike — founder of Signal developer Open Whisper Systems — posted today, Amazon orders the organization to immediately stop using domain-fronting or find another web services provider.
Amazon has said that it's banning domain-fronting so malware purveyors can't disguise themselves as innocent web traffic. But Signal used the system to provide service in Egypt, Oman, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), where it's officially banned. It got around filters by making traffic appear to come from a huge platform, since countries weren't willing to ban the entirety of a site like Google to shut down Signal.
Source: https://www.theverge.com/2018/5/1/17308508/amazon-web-services-signal-domain-fronting-ban-response
Also at TechCrunch and TechRepublic.
See also: A Google update just created a big problem for anti-censorship tools
APT29 Domain Fronting With TOR
Previously: Encrypted Messaging App Signal Uses Google to Bypass Censorship
Related: Open Whisper Systems Releases Standalone "Signal" Desktop App
(Score: 4, Insightful) by EvilSS on Wednesday May 02 2018, @08:49PM (3 children)
Essentially Signal wanted to use the amazon owned Souq.com as a way to circumvent censorship of their app. Noble and clever, sure. But it's also against Amazon's terms of service. This isn't "We at Amazon love censorship!"
(Score: 2) by takyon on Wednesday May 02 2018, @09:19PM
https://soylentnews.org/submit.pl?op=viewsub&subid=26385&title=Amazon+Web+Services+Threatens+to+Kick+Out+Signal+Messaging+App+Over+Domain+Fronting [soylentnews.org]
[SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 2, Touché) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday May 03 2018, @04:58AM (1 child)
Yes it is, they could give permission but decided they like receiving money from oppressive governments much more than freedom.
(Score: 2) by EvilSS on Saturday May 05 2018, @12:40AM