196
Why does Signal want a phone number to register if it's supposedly privacy first? (programming.dev)
submitted 1 year ago by to c/privacy@lemmy.ml
277 comments fedilink hide all child comments
 

I remember a time when visiting a website that opens a javacript dialog box asking for your name so the message "hi " could be displayed was baulked at.

Why does signal want a phone number to register? Is there a better alternative?

you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[–] 2 points 1 year ago (1 child)

The ONLY data Signal stores about you is your phone number, most recent registration time/date and most recent login time/date. They don't know who you're messaging or when you're messaging them AFAIK.

You can see this for yourself at signal.org/bigbrother

  • permalink
  • fedilink
  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 2 child comments
    •
  • [–] 2 points 1 year ago (1 child)

    I am really frustrated when this is brought up, since it only shows what they have been collecting so far, not what they're capable of collecting. The government agencies can force them to do whatever modifications to the server AND to keep completely silent about it. I am still trying to understand whether Sealed Sender would protect from a server collecting and recording ALL the data it possibly can.

  • permalink
  • fedilink
  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 2 child comments
    •
  • [–] 1 point 1 year ago

    Also if anyone else wrote it, there would be so much savaging of weasel words.

    They brag that they don't retain this data, so when governments request historical data they don't have it.

    They don't say that they don't provide it for anyone else to retain, so if they are given the to and from to process the message, and provide this to the CIA to retain then all of this security would be useless but would also fulfill all of the claims here.

  • permalink
  • fedilink
  • source
  • parent