Secure messaging service Signal is still ready to shut down its Canadian operations if Bill C-22, known as the Lawful Access Act, becomes law and is enforced.
If this happens it seems decentralized E2EE messaging would be the only option for Canadians who value privacy. And that stuff tends to be more awkward to use, and much harder to get people to use, than something as slick as Signal.
And it’s not just Signal. Major VPN providers are also threatening to quit Canada over this bill. Which will go perfectly with demands for online age verification (that is, ID tracking) and a crackdown on “piracy” sites. Many of the best things on the internet, amd what little online privacy we still have, could be taken away from Canadians in coming months or years.
And that’s before even considering what it means for low-budget operators of websites and services like the Fediverse, who may not be able to afford to comply. These laws always seem to squeeze the small players and favour the mega corporations. Not to mention that despite all Carney’s big talk and the clear threat the USA poses to Canada, the Canadian government’s actions seem determined to hand ever more Canadians’ data over to the USA.
GPG/PGP
You can encrypt your communications and send the encrypted text over the service of your choosing. Like you said, it’s not painless but it’s something that governments can’t interfere with unless they start blocking Linux software repos and other software distribution sites. I’m pretty sure there are some messaging and email apps that already allow for the use of GPG/PGP so for some users it could be a simple as installing and sharing a key with their friends.
it could be a simple as installing and sharing a key with their friends.
That’s more than most people will be prepared to do. I can tell my family to install Signal and message me there, and after many years of asking them, some actually do while most still insist on WhatsApp or SMS. If I were to tell them to send me a key, none of them would do it. It’s frustrating but most people are willing to put zero effort into privacy, and most people don’t understand or care why it’s important. So it’s really valuable to have something like Signal where it’s extremely easy for them to get started, and still some of my friends and family say it’s too complicated to install Signal as well as WhatsApp.
Signal is the only messaring app I keep installed and most of my social network is on it. It would be pretty painful if it disappears.
Thank you Signal for sticking with your foundational charter. Please continue to do so.
Reminder that Signal is used by the Canadian Armed Forces, because it’s basically the only messaging app that complies with their security requirements.
Why not matrix?
Didn’t know that. This is gonna get interesting.
They’d run their own instance.
You can run instances of Signal? I had no idea.
Not painlessly, but the server is FOSS and so are the clients. I haven’t looked into doing it. It probably involves modifying identifiers and clients to use different domains. It’s not intended for trivial roll-your-own setups but some have done it.
That’s darn neat. Thank you for the info!
Toss out garbage C-22!
Repeal all anti-terrorist legislation passed since the 90s. They have been used for nothing other than suppressing civil rights and have not prevented or solved terrorism. They will say ‘but then we will see a 9/11 every week’. No, we will not. Shut up
