Meredith Whittaker

President of @signalapp

Public Key

npub15s3hussvmv9nyvw3w8lg0x72udazmdat7tcj5vmmjafnwcvv8tpqzz6r6y

NIP-05 Address

Mer__edith_at_mastodon.world@mostr.pub

Profile Code

nprofile1qqs2ggm7ggxdkzejx8ghrl58n09wx73dk74l9uf2xdaew5ehvxxr4sspz4mhxue69uhhyetvv9ujumt0wd68ytnsw43qzxthwden5te0wfjkccte9eeks6t5vehhycm99ehkuegpneuns

Publishing to

relay.mostr.pub

relay.shitforce.one

nostr.coinfundit.com

Author Public Key

npub15s3hussvmv9nyvw3w8lg0x72udazmdat7tcj5vmmjafnwcvv8tpqzz6r6y

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Last Notes

2024-08-28 19:14:19

Such a delight to sit down with the great @npub1fx7…jv34 for a long engaged convo on surveillance, AI, my wild path through tech, and how by rejecting the toxic norm Signal provides a shining model for better, healthier tech futures♥️
https://www.wired.com/story/meredith-whittaker-signal/

2024-07-09 12:04:33

There’s been some chatter about Signal desktop recently, so let’s clear the air. Three points:
1. The reported issues rely on an attacker already having *full access to your device* — either physically, through a malware compromise, or via a malicious application running on the same device. This is not something that Signal, or any other app, can fully protect against. Nor do we ever claim to.

2024-06-17 19:42:07

📣Official statement: the new EU chat controls proposal for mass scanning is the same old surveillance with new branding.
Whether you call it a backdoor, a front door, or “upload moderation” it undermines encryption & creates significant vulnerabilities
https://signal.org/blog/pdfs/upload-moderation.pdf
https://s3.eu-central-2.wasabisys.com/mastodonworld/media_attachments/files/112/633/659/313/566/843/original/0269937372fbc99f.png

2024-05-24 11:53:46

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The latest example of robust, longstanding expert consensus tirelessly pushing back against politically motivated magical thinking:
https://x.com/carmelatroncoso/status/1785980270664929481

2024-05-24 11:53:17

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On tech lobbyists involvement (and the corruption that allowed this) see: https://balkaninsight.com/2023/09/25/who-benefits-inside-the-eus-fight-over-scanning-for-child-sex-content/

2024-05-24 11:52:41

Ignoring expert consensus, feeling no shame following exposés showing tech lobbyists shaping these EU surveillance proposals, EU politicians are at it again
So, we'll reiterate: Signal would rather leave the EU market than subject our users to mass gov surveillance. FULL STOP
https://netzpolitik.org/2024/internes-protokoll-belgien-will-nutzer-verpflichten-chatkontrolle-zuzustimmen/
https://s3.eu-central-2.wasabisys.com/mastodonworld/media_attachments/files/112/495/921/158/967/226/original/8b0d0983f03a5849.png

2024-05-22 15:21:45

Last week I had the honor of accepting the 2024 Helmut Schmidt Future Prize
Instead of a traditional speech, I gave this talk on the history of AI, the business of surveillance, & why the use of AI "ad targeting for killing" in Gaza should be illegal👇
https://www.helmut-schmidt.de/aktuelles/detail/die-rede-der-zukunftspreistraegerin

2024-05-09 21:55:22

Telegram is notoriously insecure and routinely cooperates with govs behind the scenes while talking a big game about speech and privacy. Even their limited opt-in (roll their own) encryption is sus. The more you know 🌈

2024-03-31 15:49:54

Most lives could be much shorter, too, if we insisted on measuring their worth against brutal, joyless utilitarian metrics.
https://s3.eu-central-2.wasabisys.com/mastodonworld/media_attachments/files/112/191/086/681/979/806/original/b39424f6ec472c83.png

2024-03-28 13:50:33

📢NEW FROM ME!
On the TikTok ban, the danger of abandoning defense of speech to extremists, & how the liberal tendency to assume a just state "outside the scope of this paper" leads to confused law/policy that can exacerbate the problems platforms pose.
https://lpeproject.org/blog/social-media-authoritarianism-and-the-world-as-it-is/

2024-03-14 17:59:47

This's me!
About 2yrs post-COVID I still get an instant headache from a tiny amount of alcohol. A full drink makes me violently ill for ~3 days. Posting b/c this's the first media I've seen on this symptom, and it would've been helpful to me 2 yrs ago.
https://www.sfchronicle.com/opinion/article/long-covid-drink-alcohol-18889985.php

2023-12-14 14:08:39

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@npub1w0h…uwua @npub1qml…mdus @npub185n…luq0 The number of rude, misinformed comments I get--here especially--from people who clearly have no experience developing & maintaining a high availability comms service that people actually use is astounding. I can't tell if it's rigid ideology--unwillingness to acknowledge the sorry state of the tech ecosystem due to a personal investment in a fading FOSS libertarian dream, or misogyny, or genuine/willful misunderstanding, or some combo. But it's exhausting.

2023-12-11 21:19:00

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*(Note, if you are among the small number of people that run alt Android-based operating systems that don't include Google libraries, we implement the battery-destroying push option, and hope you have ways to navigate.) 6/

2023-12-11 21:18:50

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So, while we do not love Big Tech choke points and the control that a handful of companies wield over the tech ecosystem, we do everything we can to ensure that in spite of this dynamic, if you use Signal your privacy is preserved. 5/

2023-12-11 21:18:41

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Apple simply doesn’t let you do it another way. And Google, well you could (and we've tried), but the cost to battery life is devastating for performance, rendering this a false option if you want to build a usable, practical, dependable app for people all over the world.* 4/

2023-12-11 21:18:31

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What's the background here? Currently, in order to enable push notifications on the dominant mobile operating systems (iOS and Android) those building and maintaining apps like Signal need to use services offered by Apple and Google. 3/

2023-12-11 21:18:20

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In Signal, push notifications simply act as a ping that tells the app to wake up. They don't reveal who sent the message or who is calling (not to Apple, Google, or anyone). Notifications are processed entirely on your device. This is different from many other apps. 2/

2023-12-11 21:18:09

PSA: We've received questions about push notifications. First: push notifications for Signal NEVER contain sensitive unencrypted data & do not reveal the contents of any Signal messages or calls–not to Apple, not to Google, not to anyone but you & the people you're talking to. 1/

2023-08-30 21:32:11

This is the room you pull together when your staffers want pictures with tech industry AI celebrities.
It's not the room you assemble when you want to better understand what AI is, how (and for whom) it functions, and what to do about it.
https://s3.eu-central-2.wasabisys.com/mastodonworld/media_attachments/files/110/980/701/326/406/129/original/284e9bb632527935.png

2023-08-23 18:49:43

Who's done good critical work on "age verification" systems/companies?
I'm seeing a lot of grifty vendors prepared to hawk their wares as a new strain of child-focused online legislation moves forward. I'd love to read detailed assessments of the tech & the claims 🙏

2023-08-15 18:19:25

OK, real talk.
Telegram makes big proclamations about privacy, but their promises are mostly marketing.
The app collects a huge amount of data. And like all Big Tech, when pressed by governments, they ultimately comply.
This is why Signal goes to great lengths to NOT collect any data about you -- something that is ironically more expensive and more complex.
We do it because it's the only way to ensure we keep our privacy commitments to the people who rely on us.♥️
https://techcrunch.com/2023/08/14/iraq-lifts-ban-on-telegram-after-messaging-app-complies-with-authorities/

2023-08-10 16:09:16

Here, a sample of the magical thinking justifying the UK's anti-privacy crusade
AGAIN: IT'S NOT POSSIBLE TO DEVELOP TECH THAT BOTH SURVEILLS ALL EXPRESSION & MAINTAINS E2E ENCRYPTION, NOW OR EVER
Expert consensus doesn't bend to wishes or spell casting.
https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-66455616
https://s3.eu-central-2.wasabisys.com/mastodonworld/media_attachments/files/110/866/184/422/042/199/original/b3ca1265cc16f195.png