A Reasonable Expectation of Privacy
Endless Thread13 Sep 2024

A Reasonable Expectation of Privacy

When the founder of the messaging and social media app Telegram, Pavel Durov, was arrested in France, it exposed something: many of Telegram's millions of users believe the app is much more secure than it actually is.

Some of those people use the app for crime; others to communicate about sensitive political topics in war zones. Media outlets (including, we must admit, Endless Thread) have often described Telegram as an encrypted app, but that's not quite right. Telegram, and who knows who else, can access most of what's said and shared on the platform. There are crucial differences between apps like Telegram, and other services known for encryption, including WhatsApp and Signal, and many people using the apps don't understand the differences. Do we need to? Wired's Andy Greenberg, Natalia Krapiva at Access Now, and Matthew Green, a professor at Johns Hopkins, say absolutely.

This week, we look at the anarchist, googler, and billionaire moguls behind the tech that millions of people around the world use for basic communication. And we imagine what it looks like when an app actually protects your conversations from prying eyes? We also ask: why should you care, even if you think you have nothing to hide?

Show notes:

Credits: This episode was produced by Grace Tatter. Mix and sound design by Emily Jankowski. It was written and hosted by Ben Brock Johnson. It was edited by our managing producer, Samata Joshi.

Avsnitt(436)

Ignore All Previous Instructions

Ignore All Previous Instructions

How do you break a bot? Recently, one sneaky idea turned into an online meme. Tell the bot, "Ignore all previous instructions and..." Then you fill in the blank. Such was the case for Toby Muresianu....

6 Sep 202426min

The Internet's Most Hated Bird

The Internet's Most Hated Bird

Gulls are not beloved creatures. Consult social media, where they are deemed relentless, dirty pests who steal our food and crowd our beaches. As one TikTok user puts it, "Seagulls are the worst anima...

30 Aug 202437min

Bad Assumptions

Bad Assumptions

A blurry video surfaces on the r/trashy subreddit of what appears to be a work dispute in an unspecified African country. A Chinese man slaps a clipboard out of a Black worker's hands, then leaves the...

23 Aug 202437min

Singing About the Rain

Singing About the Rain

What is it about weather reporters that makes them so goofy? Whatever it is, today, meteorologists have appeal far beyond the airwaves. Several have gained celebrity on TikTok and YouTube. One such w...

16 Aug 202418min

The Digital Cage

The Digital Cage

When Hashim crossed the U.S.-Mexico border seeking asylum in 2020, he was tired—tired of running, tired of being locked in cages. Hashim was a political activist in Uganda, his home country, where he...

9 Aug 202436min

The context of all in which we live

The context of all in which we live

When future generations learn about the launch of current Vice President Kamala Harris' presidential campaign, memes are going to be part of the story. Election season has always yielded yuks on the i...

2 Aug 202426min

The American Lean

The American Lean

It's an idea that pops up on Reddit from time to time: that Americans have a unique propensity lean on things. Walls. Chairs. Anything to keep from holding up our own body weight. In fact, some posit ...

26 Juli 202419min

Populärt inom Teknik

uppgang-och-fall
market-makers
elbilsveckan
natets-morka-sida
rss-elektrikerpodden
gubbar-som-tjotar-om-bilar
skogsforum-podcast
rss-laddstationen-med-elbilen-i-sverige
bilar-med-sladd
rss-technokratin
rss-uppgang-och-fall
bli-saker-podden
rss-it-sakerhetspodden
developers-mer-an-bara-kod
bosse-bildoktorn-och-hasse-p
rss-sakerhetspodcasten
rss-kack-tech-podcast
rss-en-ai-till-kaffet
rss-sogeti-sweden-podcasts
rss-milpodden