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282 lines
10 KiB
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282 lines
10 KiB
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\href{https://sufyaan.me/secure}{sufyaan.me/secure}
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\hypersetup{
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pdftitle={(POST) Use Secure Messaging},
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pdflang={en},
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pdfcreator={LaTeX via pandoc}}
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\title{Sufyaan's Website}
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\author{Sufyaan's Website}
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\date{}
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\begin{document}
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\maketitle
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\section{Use Secure Messaging}\label{use-secure-messaging}
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Posted on: \textbf{23 January 2024}
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Category: \textbf{Software} \& \textbf{Technology}
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In an era of uncomfortably intrusive tracking, the requirement for
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secure messaging has become crucial. With companies like
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\href{https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2018/03/one-answer-facebook-problem-block-its-tracking-technologies}{Meta}
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and
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\href{https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2020/03/google-says-it-doesnt-sell-your-data-heres-how-company-shares-monetizes-and}{Google}
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intruding our privacy on a daily basis, we must take a stand, especially
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with the messaging applications, perhaps the most sensitive piece of
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software that people use. In this article, I will explain why it is
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urgent for you to take the stand by using secure messaging and explain
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how to get started.
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\hypertarget{privacy-an-ignored-factor}{%
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\subsection{Privacy: An Ignored
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Factor}\label{privacy-an-ignored-factor}}
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Privacy is incredibly important in this modern day and age. This is why
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I will only speak about messaging software that is \textbf{both private
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and secure.} When choosing software, privacy and security should have
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equal importance.
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\hypertarget{why-}{%
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\subsection{Why?}\label{why-}}
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Why would one use secure messaging if they have nothing to hide?
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\hypertarget{protecting-your-privacy}{%
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\subsubsection{Protecting Your Privacy}\label{protecting-your-privacy}}
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Your privacy is incredibly important. However, it is ignored by most
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people, citing that they have nothing to hide. Everyone has something to
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hide, whether that be related to their money, reputation or even
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personal issues. Imagine your reaction if your current messages in their
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entirety got leaked, allowing anyone to read and go through them. You
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would be uncomfortable and also fear people taking advantage of your
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private messages. It is for this reason that it is important to
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safeguard your most personal conversations.
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\hypertarget{avoiding-cyber-threats}{%
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\subsubsection{Avoiding Cyber Threats}\label{avoiding-cyber-threats}}
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Secure messaging uses end-to-end encryption. However, it is not wise to
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completely trust when companies advertise end-to-end encryption. It
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depends mostly on the algorithm that they use. For example, the Signal
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protocol is open-source and fully available to the public. This allows
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people to view and even contribute to improving its overall
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effectiveness. However, WhatsApp\textquotesingle s encryption is
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proprietary. No one knows what encryption algorithm WhatsApp is running
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on their servers which makes it impossible to determine if it is secure.
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All in all, you should do your own research before proceeding.
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\hypertarget{protecting-metadata}{%
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\subsubsection{Protecting Metadata}\label{protecting-metadata}}
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Your \href{https://ssd.eff.org/module/why-metadata-matters}{metadata is
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crucial} to protecting your conversations. It can give context to your
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messages. Protecting your metadata helps mask your messages and protects
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it from being tampered.
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\hypertarget{getting-started}{%
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\subsection{Getting Started}\label{getting-started}}
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I will be showcasing how to download and use secure messaging apps. As
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aforementioned, I will only show apps that are \textbf{both secure and
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private.}
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\hypertarget{1-choose-a-secure-app}{%
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\subsubsection{1. Choose a secure app}\label{1-choose-a-secure-app}}
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Firstly, download one of the following:
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\begin{enumerate}
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\tightlist
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\item
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\href{https://www.signal.org/}{Signal} - It is free, open-source and
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is a great alternative for WhatsApp
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\item
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\href{https://getsession.org/}{Session} - It is incredibly private.
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You do not get a phone number and have to backup a seed phrase, making
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it complicated for most users.
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\item
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\href{https://threema.ch/en}{Threema} - Threema is a \textbf{paid}
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option but also easy to use.
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\end{enumerate}
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Next, open your app and set it up. Keep only the bare minimum data about
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you. For my name, I keep a dash (-) and no profile picture.
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\hypertarget{2-enable-two-factor-authentication}{%
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\subsubsection{2. Enable two-factor
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authentication}\label{2-enable-two-factor-authentication}}
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Now, enable \href{https://sufyaan.me/tfa}{two-factor authentication} if
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available. This allows you to prevent others from registering using your
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credentials without your consent.
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\hypertarget{3-keep-updating}{%
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\subsubsection{3. Keep updating}\label{3-keep-updating}}
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Regularly check for updates. If an app has an update, update it. This
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prevents security and privacy breaches from occurring.
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\hypertarget{4-use-disappearing-messages}{%
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\subsubsection{4. Use disappearing
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messages}\label{4-use-disappearing-messages}}
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Keep disappearing messages on by default. This ensures that sensitive
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messages are deleted within a period of time. For extremely sensitive
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chats, consider visiting the person you want to talk to physically. If
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that is not an option, turn on disappearing messages and set a time
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limit for 5 minutes and chat with them, so that the messages disappear
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after 5 minutes.
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\hypertarget{5-educate-your-contacts}{%
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\subsubsection{5. Educate your contacts}\label{5-educate-your-contacts}}
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If your contacts are still on other messaging apps, convince them to
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join secure messaging apps as well. This allows you to have a secure
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option even if your main chats are on the other app.
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\hypertarget{conclusion}{%
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\subsection{Conclusion}\label{conclusion}}
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In conclusion, it is important to employ secure messaging. Signal,
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Session and Threema are all viable applications that one can use. If
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only a few of your contacts are on Signal, do not worry. Talk to them on
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Signal and the others on the app you talk with them on. Remember,
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privacy is a journey, not a destination.
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\end{document}
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