I just tried the app via the US App Store and it requires you to verify through SMS before use. This means that it’s neither anonymous nor fit for use in a disaster zone.
Good example of software that would be better if open source.
Good example of software that would be better if open source.
Having seen FireChat, another closed source mesh network app that allows people to sign up without giving a phone number, there’s no reason for me to recommend your app or even for me to try it.
It also lacks the ability to use existing contacts (you have to do a QR code exchange).
Combining mesh over some/several form(s) of 802.11, Signal protocol public key distribution "locally" via QR code, and Delay-Tolerant Networking (Cerf et al. 2007) would be the holy grail (and would have no reliance on SMS or phone number) and also could not be monetized. Which is a damn shame, because it's eminently technically feasible, but complicated enough that I'd probably need a professional team to implement.
Also this correlation could be done with stingray towers without bringing the cell carriers into the loop.
I don't think gp here is in china, but rather just offering their procedure for acquiring a burner phone.
If the legit phone goes off while the burner is on that's a pattern. If the legit phone goes off and (travel time / distance) elapses before burner appears (travel time / distance) away from the last legit ping that's a pattern. If the legit phone and burner phone hit the same towers at the same time more than 3 times that's a pattern. If the burner phone spends most of the time off (battery out, faraday cage etc) then the times it does connect are even stronger signals.
You need to generate a ton of "noise" data where both phones are hitting different towers at the same time on a constant basis; and never being together. Maybe mailing the burner phone on a regular basis between isolated locations that the real phone never goes to?
Cell tower data is incredibly powerful for tracking people.
They usually require a sign up before activation; I'd be interested to know of ones that are true "burner" SIMs that are sold here.
Vodafone just let you tick a box saying "i am who i say i am" https://www.acma.gov.au/Industry/Telco/Carriers-and-service-...
If I am Alice and know Bob, I want to know Bob's address. Using the cell phone number, an address I already have for Bob, solves that problem. Verifying the number via SMS provides some reasonable (but not ironclad) guarantees that it actually is Bob.
Yes, as an address scheme, it prioritizes convenience over other things. If you want wide acceptance, that's a requirement. Wide acceptance can be useful if you need to adopt something in a hurry and you didn't think to set up something in advance. It's also great because it isn't exactly great opsec to look different from the crowd, and using Tor is a giant "HI I AM DOING CRIMES" beacon to the world.
1) The Signal protocol, which can have multiple implementations (WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger and Skype all use it), 2) The Signal client and server, which are open source, and 3) The Signal service operated by Signal Messenger, LLC.
You can use either 1 or 2 to implement a system that doesn't require a phone number to use. Wire, for instance, is a messenger that has adopted parts of the Signal protocol and the Signal source code. [https://github.com/wireapp/proteus/blob/develop/src/internal...]
What you can't do is change how the Signal servers operated by Signal Messenger are operated, or refer to your own client/server using Signal trademarks.
[1]: https://medium.com/@wireapp/axolotl-and-proteus-788519b186a7...