Security researchers call for Guardian to retract false WhatsApp backdoor story
A reminder, for people scratching their heads over how any legitimate-seeming criticism of the trade-off WhatsApp took could generate this much ire from this many experts:<p>WhatsApp has something like a billion users. Virtually none of them asked for end-to-end encryption. They don't know that they want it, but they got it anyways when Whisper worked with WhatsApp to add Signal Protocol to WhatsApp.<p>But just because they don't want it doesn't mean they don't need it. Many WhatsApp users badly need messaging security that works better than their alternatives. They don't know it, but with the flip of a switch, they got that security. More than anything else, this is why Dan Boneh and the RealWorldCrypto steering committee awarded Moxie Marlinspike and Trevor Perrin the Levchin crypto prize this year.<p>Comes now The Guardian with a story saying "WHATSAPP BACKDOORED, BAD, SWITCH". None of WhatsApp's users are close to being able to evaluate what that means. But they know what "bad" and "switch" means. And in the global-scale game of telephone we're all playing now, that's what they're doing. You don't have to wonder: Zeynep will tell you it's happening.<p>Nerds on Twitter are puzzled. Isn't this a good thing? Signal is even stricter about security than WhatsApp. Wouldn't it be better for all these people to be on Signal? WhatsApp users will in fact probably try installing Signal. They'll even use it for a couple minutes. <i>But their peers aren't on Signal</i>, and they're switching immediately to messengers where they can find their friends. Not WhatsApp, though: The Guardian (or their shrill uncle on Facebook) told them not to. Nope, they're switching to SMS.<p>State security services could not be happier about this. You can't buy this kind of PR for money; you have to spend security researcher vanity to get it. Zeynep will tell you about this too: there are state telecom and security apparatuses right now signal-boosting The Guardian's irresponsible report. And there are activists circulating warnings to switch from WhatsApp to other messengers. It's a disaster: the lie is outrunning us.<p>The Guardian must retract this story, clearly and loudly. There's a way to report on the tradeoffs WhatsApp made, but this wasn't it; this was "VACCINES MAY CAUSE AUTISM". Don't take my word for it: look at who signed the letter, including Matthew Green, Bruce Schneier, Matt Blaze, Steve Checkoway, Chris Palmer, Dave Adrian, Bart Preneel, Jonathan Zdziarski, Steve Bellovin, and Emin Gür Sirer.