This is not a source on “they are useless”
Not the case always. For example, emails sent from non-ProtonMail accounts are encryoted on arrival, and Proton pinky promises they don’t retain it. Should they be jailed for not agreeing to moderate it pre-encryption?
Source?
Maybe it will. Let’s see. I hope it was not as egregious an overreach as it seems.
Unless they actually do have that data they are fine. They also do tell you quite clearly to not do stuff that would get you into trouble, because they won’t have any choice but to comply with lawful Swiss intercept orders. “Swiss protection” generally ends where the offence is also a crime in Switzerland also. The threat model for Proton Mail has always been warrantless surveillance.
Typically eyes countries are not poor dictatorships that can be easily bribed. It’s kind of obvious.
Still not a source. Replies are lacking credible proofs everywhere 
And yes, they are rich countries that run Guantanamo and Abu Ghraib, spy at the UN, jail whistleblowers, and bribe the above mentioned poor countries to spy for them 
You keep mixing up the core issue. Its NOT what data they retain, its: We should not give even an inch of ground to activities that encroach on privacy services in the name of “compliance to protect the children”
Still not a source on useless canaries?
You’re asking me to prove something which is a negative. For people that have been around they will simply know that it is true.
There were a bunch of companies that had them. Even Reddit did at one point. Other companies like Silent Circle let them get out of date so they were useless. I think the only companies that persist with it nowadays are VPN companies with their marketing materials. I am gonna tell you to just do some research if you want to see more evidence of that.
Here’s one for you https://www.cnet.com/news/privacy/warrant-canary-what-you-need-to-know-about-this-online-privacy-warning-sign/
Among the most famous critics of the warrant canary and its underlying proposition is Moxie Marlinspike, creator of encrypted messaging app Signal, who said in 2014 “every lawyer we’ve spoken to has confirmed that this would not work.”
Well yes, because guess what, child related offenses are illegal in most parts of the world, therefore when courts in those countries make such orders they need to be complied with for the data that is possessed.
Agree to disagree I guess. Hopefully france has more credible “crimes” to hold him accountable for than “did not bend over backwards to comply”. Someone defies India/Russia/China and they are a hero, someone defies France/US/Germany and they are the villain. Always makes me mad to see otherwise smart people fall for the myth of “rule-based order”.
Hopefully they are not LGBTQ+ or any other form of “deviant” in countries where it is illegal, otherwise privacy services WILL COMPLY and out them , or be forced to stop operations there.
There are rules in most societies. When there is some agreement on those things we see processes like MLAT. That is how it just is.
From the news circulating around, I have a feeling that Durov purposefully went to France since he knows he is on the list. The tricky question is why he did this.
Edit: news sources
In 2022, we took a look at Telegram’s API. There is an undocumented API that allows an attacker (or the FSB) to DOWNLOAD any GROUP CHAT (where a bot is present). The attacker (or FSB) does not need to be in the group chat and does not need own the BOT. More so, the API smells like “lawful interception” all over the place.
This article feels like it was written by schizso btw.
The charges have been made official. Arrest of Pavel Durov, France discloses 12 charges: he faces 20 years in prison
Proton operates in Switzerland. Does Telegram even have servers in France? If not, then his arrest makes absolutely no sense
Makes sense from the point of view that the app is serving French citizens and ought to comply with their laws. Not that I think any of those charges will hold up.
Question: If roles were reversed here and he had to comply to the UAE law and disclose user data as a french company (if Telegram was based in France), wouldn’t this in itself be a breach of GDPR?
Not sure I agree. They also did a really good article some time ago about Iran’s firewall.
Also if you read the whole article you’ll see:
Note: Is it a bit harsh that we think Pavel should be locked up? Yes. Thanks for not just reading the headline.
It’s meant to gain your attention, but otherwise raises some good points.
No, because GDPR does not supersede lawful interception laws obviously. It would entirely depend on what the UAE wanted, and if that thing was also a crime in France, whether or not they would be willing to assist.
Was re-reading some articles today, in light of current events and where things are happening.
If you trust the words in this interview,
Meredith Whittaker herself mentioned that she will be in Paris for next 6 months. She’s there now.
Here are some excerpts and a link to the original paper itself.
I want to emphasize at once that these are not consecutive terms from the dialog, I don’t want it to seem that these are specially composed parts, to form a certain narrative.
What I wanted to underline:
1)Location and date of the event.
2)Specific mentions of the photographer. (As far as I understand it was Durov’s companion and she was released today, as was the bodyguard who accompanied them, Le Figaro wrote about it.)
3)The words “verdict”, “jury” and “my court”
Date of publication
May 24, 2024
Press:
I sat down with the president of Signal at VivaTech in Paris to go over the wide range of serious, grown-up issues society is facing
Meredith Whittaker:
It seems like Pavel might be too busy being followed by a professional photographer to get his facts right. I don’t know why he amplified that. I know he’s full of s— when it comes to his views or his claims about Signal. And we have all the receipts on our sides. So the jury is in. The verdict is clear.
Press:
You said that you’re going to be spending a lot of time in the EU. Why is that?
Meredith Whittaker:
I’ll be in Paris for the next six months. We’re focusing on our European market, our European connections. It’s a good time as a privacy-preserving app that will never back down from our principles to be very flexible, given the political situation in the U.S., and to understand our options.
A lot of times we see these disinformation campaigns targeted at vulnerable communities in order to force them onto a less secure option and then subject them to surveillance and social control and other forms of harm that come from that type of weaponized information asymmetry. So I was furious, I am furious, and I think it’s just incredibly reckless.
Play your games, but don’t take them into my court.
Another aspect that I would like to discuss is, does this information actually take place?
According to the DLD,
In 2005, Pavel completed his studies at the Faculty of Military Affairs of St. Petersburg State University, specializing in propaganda and psychological warfare.
Could the fact of this education (if true) hint that the case may be more serious? Dual citizenship, espionage, disinformation? I understand that French Legion soldiers are present on the battlefield? Unfortunately my knowledge in this topic is limited, I would like to hear the opinion of more experienced people in these matters.
This is not a columnist or website whose viewpoint I would give any value. Ukraine is a sovereign country who got invaded by Russia. To the extent that a left-right paradigm applies here at all, Russia’s oligarchical Christian government is commonly understood as far to the right of Ukraine’s.
Seems to me like an independent judiciary just doing their job tbh.
The article complicitly doesn’t mention this, but the 12 charges stem from an initial investigation secretly launched by Ofmin, a French government office. The article also hides that all charges involve the argument that Durov is personally responsible for alleged criminal activity by others using the Telegram app, this concocted legal argument is unprecedented in terms of the arrest of executives of major social media and it will be used to advance attacks on freedom of information, privacy and other democratic rights. Also completely absent from the article is any mention of NATO governments and Ukraine’s repeated calls to ban the app.
Telegram is currently trending in all app stores, especially within France. CNN and every news channel is talking about encrypted messaging apps. CNN even said “normal text is not private at all, anyone and their brother can get your text messages.”
While some of the technical details being published aren’t totally accurate, this is creating massive awareness for privacy tools everywhere.
This case seems similar to the Silk road case. Although silk road was designed for illegal transactions, Telegram is designed for everyone but largely used by criminals everywhere.
So this is somehow helping telegram grow? Thats the opposite of the expected reaction.
Of course. Classic Barbra Streisand effect. Streisand effect - Wikipedia
After Durov’s arrest Telegram is number 2 in US social media downloads, first place in France, moved from 18th to 8th most popular app overall after the arrest.
TV anchors are saying: “The telegram founder was arrested because he doesn’t care what you do on the platform, and police can’t get access to your data.”
People go “Ohhh let me try it out”