How big would be the interest in a SECURE messaging-App?

[Markus Moser]

Recently I noticed the (apparently) existing interest in a really safe massageing app.
We had that idea before, to come up with a cross plattform massageing app/service, that rely on PGP for security purposes, and provides an open API.
We discussed it a lot, but decided that the "average user" doesn't care enough about security and privacy to take advantage of such a service.
What do you think about it? The high interest in "Hemlis" caught our attention - so let us hear your opinion!


I'm not a native english speaker, so please excuse any misspelling.

Greetings from Germany,
Markus

 

[WanderingTraveler]

Actually, while I don't use messaging apps (I use text or e-mails because I know they work) I'm really interested in a messaging system (not just an app) that's actually secure.

 

[Laura Knotek]

Hi Markus,

I'm not familiar with Hemlis. Is this the name of a new secure messaging app you are working on?

 

[FinancialP]

Nothing is secure. Don't fall for the hype.

If the government wants to spy on you or get your data, they can. No way around that fact.

 

[Markus Moser]

Hi Markus,

I'm not familiar with Hemlis. Is this the name of a new secure messaging app you are working on?

No, thats the name of a app from another developer - but i'm not shure how "open & secure" it'll truly be.

Nothing is secure. Don't fall for the hype.

If the government wants to spy on you or get your data, they can. No way around that fact.

First: it's not only about the goverment, think about other nodal points all your data passes through - do you trust them?
Do you even know where your data is goeing, exept the destination you send it to?
Now if you supply plain text, or low secured data, do you really think nobody is interested in filtering it for "interesting" data?
Nothing is secure -> thats right, nothing is 100% secure, but if "everybody" starts useing highly secured connections even for 'irrelevant / trivial' data,
it is goeing to get really tough for the gov. or everybody else to even classify what kind of data is floating around the web.
And to "crack" every single stupid message somebody sends across the web, is simply not realizable - that's a fact!
No "oh-so-great-NSA-super-computer" will accomplish that task. These guys are no magicians, they're just crypto-specialists, and the don't have unlimited resources.
In fact, we as world's population have much more resources than any gov.
And not being able to provide 100% security is not an excuse for not trying to use the best security you can get your hands on.

Greetings
Markus

 

[FinancialP]

^ sorry but they do have unlimited resources.

Plus all it takes is a simple warrant, and you have no choice but to fork over the data.

These people have hacked into the highest security imaginable. If they want it, the can get it. That's all I'm saying.

 

[Markus Moser]

^ sorry but they do have unlimited resources.

Plus all it takes is a simple warrant, and you have no choice but to fork over the data.

These people have hacked into the highest security imaginable. If they want it, the can get it. That's all I'm saying.

Shure, they can - but its not about that higly specific targeted "hack" here, its about makeing the "mass" of IM messages unacessible to them.
if it's too easy to get plain messages, they will monitor all the traffic, but if they have to choose wisely which data they want to read,
because it takes alot of resources to decrypt/crack it all...

I totally got your point, and you're absolutley right, nothing is 100% secure, and if they want to get in somewhere, they do!
But we shouldn't make it too easy for them! they're collecting data too, just like google, facebook and others do - but on a completely different niveau.