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Comment by pateldeependra | Hacker News Reader

This is not foolproof. What if someone records the video from another phone while playing. Similar to snapchat.

I think the idea is that during the relationship both parties are at peace so neither party will have any desire to do something underhanded like recording the video from another phone. This app addresses the problem that occurs when the relationship ends on a bad note and one party has to the urge to harm the other through whatever means necessary.

Because nobody would ever offload the videos before the breakup?

Most encryption systems are vulnerable to rubber-hose cryptanalysis, yet we still use them because they still vastly reduce the chance that your message will be leaked.

Similarly, this app reduces the chances that one of the parties will be victimized by their ex. That's still useful, even though imperfect.

This is pretty naive though. Everyone so far who's ever sent me, er, "home videos" has later decided to stop sending me such content and would probably revoke my access to it if they could. Maybe I'm just a sneaky jerk, but backing up content that I would like to see again seems like something I'd try regardless of how the relationship was at the time. I don't mean anyone harm and I'd not distribute someone's videos without their consent. I'd just want to keep the ability to look at them.

So let's say you go through the hoops to use this app. Then you'd immediately break that trust, while still in the relationship, by recording the videos?

Yes. For me it would depend on the nature of the relationship (and "maybe I'm a sneaky jerk"). But often people send each other "home videos", or create them together, outside of what I'd consider a Relationship (love & trust & all that jazz).

Isn't that exactly what Rumuki is trying to solve? If there's enough trust in the relationship in question, the people involved should just solve this with the conversation: "hey, did you delete that video after watching it like we agreed?" / "yep, you?" / "yep".

Don't you think that's rather creepy?

I do, but see my further clarification below. In any case, it doesn't matter whether I personally would do this. It's clear to me that a bunch of people would.

And I KNOW complaining about downvotes is like the HN kiss of death, but whoever hit that down arrow because they disapprove of my (hypothetical) conduct should really rethink their use of HN votes.

> neither party will have any desire to do something underhanded like recording the video from another phone.

Well... The viewer needs to request permission from the partner, and may want to bypass that. Furthermore, a given video may have more than two partecipants, and the app seems to be limited to pairs of people. In such situations the video will need to be shared with those people too.

The most secure option is to have one encrypted copy of the file and only that, and decrypt only when viewing it, and only temporarily. Even then it's possible to make recordings of the content as tiny hideable cameras are sold everywhere. I'm not dismissing the work done, but if someone is as careful about security to use such an app, they can also do the best thing and not record at all.

From the FAQs:

> How do I know my partner won't abuse my trust?

> You can't. However with Rumuki you have the discretion to only grant playbacks when you can keep an eye on them. You also have the option to revoke all playback grants and delete the recording if trust is ever lost.

There is no accounting for the analog loophole

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