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According to an article on engadget today, Egypt is blocking access to the encrypted messaging application Signal, made by Open Whisper Systems.
Egypt has blocked its residents from accessing encrypted messaging app Signal, according to the application's developer. Mada Masr, an Egypt-based media organization, reported yesterday that several users took to Twitter over the weekend to report that they could no longer send or receive messages while on Egyptian IP addresses. Open Whisper Systems, the team behind the app, told a user asking about a situation that everything was working just as intended on their end. Now that the company has confirmed that the country is blocking access to Edward Snowden's preferred messaging app, it has begun working on a way to circumvent the ban. They intend to deploy their solution over the next few weeks.
Signal can be downloaded here for android and here for ios
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday December 22 2016, @12:23AM
This a GREAT News! Block SN next please! Yes yes!!
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday December 22 2016, @01:58AM
...or if the SoylentNews signal can't be blocked, decrease the SN ratio, eh?
(Score: 3, Informative) by Nerdfest on Thursday December 22 2016, @02:57AM
I hate to feed the trolls, but Signal is messaging, not social media.
(Score: 3, Informative) by dyingtolive on Thursday December 22 2016, @02:41PM
Also, from what most people on sites like these tell me again and again, apparently the signal is not something which can be stopped.
Don't blame me, I voted for moose wang!
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday December 22 2016, @03:39PM
Can't stop the signal, AC. The signal must flow.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday December 22 2016, @01:05AM
Or have they gone completely nuts and blocked that too because the holy koran says encryption is evil?
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday December 22 2016, @01:06AM
Where I can download soylent social app.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday December 22 2016, @02:13AM
In Egypt soylent social app download you!
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday December 22 2016, @01:15AM
Even if the messages are encrypted you still have to worry about meta-data because Signal requires your account be identified by your phone number. They say they do it because phone# is a convenient ID for the users to remember. And that's true, but its a serious weakness, especially for users in an autocratic country like Egypt. I wish Signal would offer the option to chose an 'inconvenient' ID for better privacy.
Or better yet, instead of IDs for the endpoints, IDs for the "channel" between them (kind of like IRC channels) so that conversations between any two (or more) users would have a unique ID unrelated to any other conversations.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday December 22 2016, @01:38AM
Assign permanent lifelong IPv6 addresses to people and we never have to worry about that pesky privacy problem ever again. Remember the immortal wisdom of your hero Marshall Brain. Nothing is private. Open source everything. Better and better. Hold still for your brain implant.
(Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Thursday December 22 2016, @02:45AM
permanent, lifeling IPv6 - or any other address - defeats the purpose. The communications can be traced back to you. Not your phone, not your office, not your home, but to YOU, personally.
So the good Moslem Morality Police says, "Imam, we have this encrypted traffic going out. We don't know what it says. Should we try to crack it?" Imam answers, "No need - look at that IPv6 address, you should recognize it. Let's go visit Mohammed, and he'll tell us what it says. Bring that $5 wrench along."
“Take me to the Brig. I want to see the “real Marines”. – Major General Chesty Puller, USMC
(Score: 2) by Flyingmoose on Thursday December 22 2016, @02:59AM
Obviously your sarcasm detector is malfunctioning.
(Score: 1, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday December 22 2016, @05:42AM
> Obviously your sarcasm detector is malfunctioning.
Islam is the easiest way to make him malfunction.
Any discussion that involves muslims smashes his stack because his bounds-checking is non-existent.
(Score: 1) by Ethanol-fueled on Thursday December 22 2016, @02:59AM
I'm usually in agreement that Muslims are backwards savages, but Egypt's military overthrew Morsi and the Muslim Brotherhood as a result of the two latter cracking down on protesters.
Egypt is one more valuable American ally turned towards the Russians due to discontent with American foreign policy. I'm too lazy to look up the exact effect of the Arab Spring (aka American meddling Soros-style) on the transition of power between Hosni Murabak and Morsi, but the nature of the Islamic beast is that Westerners cannot understand it, they cannot reason with it, and so should destroy it instead of trying to tame it.
It's like trying to tame a starving rabid dog and earn its trust -- it will bite everyone in its path, including its handlers.
(Score: -1, Spam) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday December 22 2016, @08:41PM
Mohammed: Did you see Mohammed at the meeting today?
Mohammed: No, but his brother Mohammed showed up.
Mohammed: What did Mohammed talk about?
Mohammed: Mohammed introduced us to Mohammed who is also a mason!
Mohammed: A mason? No shit? How long has he been one?
Mohammed: About five years. He was referred to the local lodge by Mohammed.
Mohammed: Ah, yes, Mohammed. He has a shit ton of connections around town!
Mohammed: Yes, and our brothers, police be upon them, Mohammed and Mohammed from Egypt came, too.
Mohammed: I've been thinking of becoming a clown.
Mohammed: A clown, Mohammed, why?
Mohammed: So I can film myself being gay.
Mohammed: Oh, you.
Mohammed: So anyway, is Mohammed, Mohammed, and Mohammed coming to the next party?
Mohammed: Indeed. Mohammed was so funny last time.
Mohammed: Well it wouldn't be a party without Mohammed.
Mohammed: Yes, my friend. POLICE BE UPON THEM!
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday December 25 2016, @01:16AM
copypasta from https://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2016/07/friday_squid_bl_534.html [schneier.com]
(Score: 2) by Nerdfest on Thursday December 22 2016, @02:58AM
Use a VOIP app for a number.
(Score: 1, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday December 22 2016, @05:44AM
> Use a VOIP app for a number.
Try it before you recommend it.
Hint, it won't work. The signal app knows the phone's telco assigned phone number.
(Score: 1) by Scruffy Beard 2 on Thursday December 22 2016, @04:07PM
I hope you are wrong. My cell-phone does not have a SIM card, but I want to use signal.
(Score: 4, Insightful) by jmorris on Thursday December 22 2016, @03:06AM
Encryption is all well and good so long as the government allows it. Sure they can't listen in, but they can just stop any communication they can't listen to. VPN? Obvious attempt to circumvent monitoring, stop it. Push em hard enough they will limit https to trusted destinations. Encryption only keeps open societies honest, it is useless against unfree ones.
(Score: 2) by vux984 on Thursday December 22 2016, @04:19AM
Steganography on the other hand... egypt can read my inane plaintext posts to their approved social media site all they like.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday December 22 2016, @08:03AM
egypt can read my inane plaintext posts
We have to so why shouldn't they? ;-)
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday December 22 2016, @05:06AM
And why do you think that "cryptoweenies" weren't aware that oppressive governments are oppressive? Everyone knows is a cat-and-mouse game, but that's no reason to give up.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday December 22 2016, @05:47AM
> And why do you think that "cryptoweenies" weren't aware that oppressive governments are oppressive?
Because jmorris is smarter than any expert. Half his posts are him telling us how dumb everyone else is. You must be to stupid to get the message!
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday December 22 2016, @07:45AM
Looks like you've been to stupid, show us how to get there too
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday December 22 2016, @03:54PM
"signal" app on android? isn't that like drilling a hole in a perfectly good safe?