# Neo-Nazis Are Fleeing Telegram for Encrypted App SimpleX Chat

**URL:** https://discuss.privacyguides.net/t/neo-nazis-are-fleeing-telegram-for-encrypted-app-simplex-chat/21282
**Category:** General
**Tags:** article
**Created:** 2024-10-05T18:56:23Z
**Posts:** 25

## Post 1 by @Breeze7846 — 2024-10-05T18:56:23Z

> **[Neo-Nazis Are Fleeing Telegram for Encrypted App SimpleX Chat](https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2024/10/neo-nazis-head-to-encrypted-simplex-chat-app-bail-on-telegram/)**
>
> Neo-Nazis are joining SimpleX Chat, a relatively unknown app that received funding from Jack Dorsey and promises users there is no way for it or law enforcement to track their identity.

Hmmmm… nazi bastards ruin things yet again.

This will cause a negative reputation/negative scrutiny of the app. Hopefully they figure out a way to handle it properly…

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## Post 2 by @Anonymous220 — 2024-10-05T19:00:43Z

Again and again… First telegram now this

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## Post 10 by @pinkandwhite — 2024-10-06T02:19:21Z

I guess on the plus side, these pathetic manchildren larping as nazis feel scared enough of consequences that they flee to private messengers :rofl:

> [@jerm](#):
>
> This forum is to discuss privacy and security but not non-tech politics

besides the fact this is directly tech-related politics (i.e., the optics of horrible people (i hope we _can_ agree nazis are _bad_) using a private messaging app), that’s such a copout and impossible to enforce, particularly because bad-faith actors (not saying _you yourself_ are one of those) will abuse it to push their own bullshit politics as “apolitical” purely if it fits the status quo.

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## Post 11 by @anon64393658 — 2024-10-06T04:12:12Z

Telegram was trash to begin with. Hard to ruin something that starts as a burning dumpster.

The worse part of this for SimpleX is that it won’t really be a social network replacement for Telegram due to the basic structure of it. So SimpleX will get some bad headlines, then the neo-Nazi’s will move on to something else anyway but the public association damage will already be complete.

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## Post 12 by @anon73250778 — 2024-10-06T04:12:30Z

If **bad people** only use the _good tools_, why do we let the **good people** use _bad tools_?

Something has gone horribly wrong if corporations monetise peoples poor choices in life.

I wish _ **ethical** _ **capitalism** is a social movement that exists today, instead of whatever is currently happening in the west. I guess the upper elites really got upset about that occupy wallstreet thing.

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## Post 13 by @jerm — 2024-10-06T08:33:55Z

Ok, but what should be obvious is how Wired is playing devil’s advocate when they write articles such as:

 ![image](//forum-uploads.privacyguidesusercontent.com/original/2X/0/06a9012cb2d5c4ec241523360d3444e0503dec18.png)

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## Post 15 by @crossroads — 2024-10-06T12:29:02Z

Well, considering they mostly use(d) honeypots (EncroChat, SKY, ANON, Ghost…), paying huge amount of money for those, maybe SimpleX should consider making “super military secure” version of app, priced at only $499,99/month, and at least get some revenue for further development :smiley:

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## Post 16 by @ignoramous — 2024-10-06T15:49:48Z

> [@hakavlad](#):
>
> The fact that they use an app is a sign of its quality

It isn’t a sign of anything as evidenced by the fact that these groups used Telegram in the pretense that it was “anonymous”.

Now, they’re flocking to SimpleX, which may be better, but isn’t without censorship.

> Poberezkin … believes that despite his network’s focus on privacy, SimpleX can curb the spread of terrorist or abusive material on its app.
> 
> “Even in these early days we already did more to prevent distribution of [child sexual abuse material] via the preset servers included in the app than many other platforms did, even though they have much more control. While we cannot indiscriminately scan all content … if the group entry point is publicly promoted and can be joined, and it uses the servers that we operate, we can remove these entry points and the files from the servers.”

At which point, one might also use Matrix clients, or any of the other alternatives.

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## Post 18 by @ignoramous — 2024-10-06T18:10:31Z

> [@Anon47486929](#):
>
> It’s good to see them taking abuse seriously, but they wouldn’t be scanning the actual content right? More like hash-matching with a database of known, previously reported content? Or is it something more privacy invasive

I’m not privvy to the details other than what @epoberezkin mentioned to the WIRED (which I quoted above). It doesn’t sound privacy invasive, but more like deplatforming (from just the _default_ SimpleX network), once extremist content is flagged by _someone else_ (like it happens with WhatsApp). They don’t seem to actively monitor their network.

> [@Anon47486929](#):
>
> thanks for your work on RDNS

You’re kind, thanks.

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## Post 20 by @camp — 2024-10-06T22:46:56Z

> [@anon73250778](#):
>
> If **bad people** only use the _good tools_, why do we let the **good people** use _bad tools_?

> [@crossroads](#):
>
> Well, considering they mostly use(d) honeypots (EncroChat, SKY, ANON, Ghost…),

I know this part is very interesting. Where I am located (sophisticated) criminals a few years ago used manual PGP on blackberries. They switched to Wickr, then recently to Threema. Its always closed source private tech for some reason.

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## Post 21 by @Regime6045 — 2024-10-07T15:33:53Z

I’d see that as a stamp of approval for the technology. Neo-Nazis are the most “persecuted” political group. (There’s liberal, authoritarian, communist, islamist countries, but not a single country that “approves” of National Socialist contents. In fact it’s illegal in most countries, with the US being one of the few exceptions because of the 1st Amendment.) So in a way, this means that SimpleX is either believed to be censorship-proof or anonymous or both. So if you care about these things, then SimpleX is a great choice.

In terms of reputation? Well, it’s like saying Monero is only used for drugs and Tor is only used for CP. Obviously that’s not true. And in any case, SimpleX would have never been in a position to replace “normal” messengers like Whatsapp and Facebook. And governments are always working hard to outlaw end-to-end encryption and limit freedom of speech, no matter how hard you try to be an app only for “nice guys”.

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## Post 22 by @Rasta — 2024-10-07T20:03:09Z

> [@Regime6045](#):
>
> I’d see that as a stamp of approval for the technology. Neo-Nazis are the most “persecuted” political group. (There’s liberal, authoritarian, communist, islamist countries, but not a single country that “approves” of National Socialist contents. In fact it’s illegal in most countries, with the US being one of the few exceptions because of the 1st Amendment.) So in a way, this means that SimpleX is either believed to be censorship-proof or anonymous or both. So if you care about these things, then SimpleX is a great choice.

Fair argument, except the service they’re “fleeing” is Telegram. I’m not saying that SimpleX isn’t censorship resistant, (nothing is fully “proofed”) or that it’s not anonymous, but I will point out that with the VC funding they have there NEEDS to be a ROI and they haven’t demonstrated how they will do that and seem to blow off questions about it.

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## Post 23 by @Tech-Trooper — 2024-10-07T20:28:55Z

Because they have nothing to hide. :upside_down_face:

> [@anon73250778](#):
>
> If **bad people** only use the _good tools_, why do we let the **good people** use _bad tools_?

Note: of course, this is irony.

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## Post 25 by @andreas1107 — 2024-10-12T07:56:15Z

@Rasta This is an excellent point. There is no and will never exist a permanent safe haven for people, because ultimately all technology is political. There is no technological implementation that isn’t stopped by guns and bombs. :crystal_ball:

But this can be monitored, I’ll give Simplex 3-5 years from now, then something new will have to be found..
