• incentive@lemmy.mlEnglish
    51·
    14 days ago

    I use WhatsApp cautiously with friends who still refuse to jump over to Signal (let alone Matrix or Session). But it’s def mind blowing to read an activist group was relying on it for organizing. Reminds me of FB being used for organizing G20 and BLM demos -_-

    • ch00f@lemmy.world
      28·
      14 days ago

      Considering their entire marketing campaign is “nobody, not even WhatsApp can see your messages,” I can see how folks would fall for that.

    • ctry21@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
      16·
      14 days ago

      I think a lot of non-techie people only know signal from the Trump admin using it illegally earlier in the year. In a lot of people’s minds because of that they think Signal = insecure because they don’t get the nuances of why using it in that specific context – on personal phones, using a third party app, with a random journalist in the mix – was bad, but that for most people it’s still one of the best options. WhatsApp on the other hand has a lot of marketing around it and if you didn’t know that Meta is Facebook I think some people wouldn’t even realise who the owners are.

      • Fluffy Kitty Cat@slrpnk.netEnglish
        10·
        14 days ago

        I had a friend who heard signal was backdoored and that a regular old cell call was more secure. Had to correct that

        • rapchee@lemmy.world
          4·
          13 days ago

          wasn’t it telegram that got hacked?
          also i vaguely remember the signal ceo getting sued or something because they couldn’t/wouldn’t let some government body read someone’s messages, because it’s encrypted

  • Avid Amoeba@lemmy.ca
    19·
    14 days ago

    Yeah, that’s curious. I’d think they’d be prepared with Signal at the very least and some backup self-hosted channel, as well as cameras and backup cell hotspots.

    • eldavi@lemmy.mlEnglish
      8·
      14 days ago

      they were prepared for the drone hit the other day; so hopefully for this as well.

      • Avid Amoeba@lemmy.ca
        4·
        14 days ago

        I’d imagine they could have a few spread out boats further and further behind, each with its own cell hotspot, beaming WiFi all around, so that they have to be jammed simultaneously to stop the livestreams from capturing the attacks.

        • eldavi@lemmy.mlEnglish
          3·
          14 days ago

          it sounds like it would be easier to pick them off one-by-one if they were far apart.

  • Shamber@lemmy.world
    10·
    13 days ago

    With all respect to a privacy advocates(I’m one), but blaming them on using WhatsApp is besides the point, these people are not trying to hide their activities, or locations, and many of them are not tech-saavy, the shame is on the cess pool that is Meta, and all the other goons…this is so fucked up on so many levels.

    • UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.worldEnglish
      5·
      13 days ago

      blaming them on using WhatsApp is besides the point

      WhatsApp admins are explicitly interfering with a public protest in order to satisfy a genocidal foreign government.

      This is at least as big a deal as TikTok censorship of anti-China posters. It’s just on behalf of a US ally, so we’re defending it rather than threatening to interfere in their business practices in turn.

      the shame is on the cess pool that is Meta

      Who appoints WhatsApp administration heads if not Meta? It’s the same picture.

  • AbouBenAdhem@lemmy.worldEnglish
    8·
    14 days ago

    Did they select Whatsapp as a main communication channel and direct their supporters to it?

    Or did they just start a group chat to reach out to supporters who were already on the app?

  • appropriateghost@lemmy.ml
    6·
    13 days ago

    another reason why not to use whatsapp? for all that is good, don’t use meta or any corporate technofascist company. there are better options.