[liberationtech] Cryptography super-group creates unbreakable encryption

[Griffin Boyce]

Brian Conley <brianc at smallworldnews.tv> wrote:

> I heard they have a super secret crypto clubhouse in the belly of an
> extinct volcano.
>

  Whatever, they're up to, I want in ;-) Dormant volcano lab internship,
here I come!

  It makes business sense for them to stay closed-source. But until the day
comes that they open the app code, I will remain skeptical.  It's not hard
to get positive press quotes from friends. Open-source code reviews can be
merciless... and coding in public is really difficult... but the rewards
are many.  Whether those rewards outweigh other aspects of their business
is probably up for debate (and I'm sure they've discussed it extensively
behind-the-scences).

  Closed-source code makes me suspicious precisely for the reason that any
major bugs that they find stay secret.  So if there is a flaw that could
expose user data, affected users might never find out.  See also: Skype.

  It's not that they're bad people, but easy to use crypto is extremely
difficult, and even experts with years of experience make mistakes.

  Somewhat off-topic: Writers and those they are writing about don't
usually choose their headlines.  Editors do, and blog editors are
especially interested in attention-getting headlines. It's all about the
clicks, Nadim. All about the pageviews. Even in a data-driven tech article,
the snappy headline is what will keep the lights on and staff paid. So they
frequently go to extremes.

Best,
Griffin Boyce

-- 
"What do you think Indians are supposed to look like?
What's the real difference between an eagle feather fan
and a pink necktie? Not much."
~Sherman Alexie

PGP Key etc: https://www.noisebridge.net/wiki/User:Fontaine
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