>If facebook received an NSL or warrant, it could trivially trigger this "ugly, obvious, risky" mechanism and read "secure" traffic, with little if any visible sign at the sender / recipient.

(cough/) how about bunches of messages randomly going missing?

kindly go read this: https://whispersystems.org/blo...

My comeback is that corporations which are held to be super-smart-and-sneaky one moment should not be assumed to be bone stupid the next.

1) Really, dude, go read my Twitter. I'll post this there.

2) It's not a backdoor. It has an off-switch. It would be a pain to exploit. It would be ugly, obvious and risky to exploit. If such snooping was sought, it would be done better..

https://twitter.com/AlecMuffet...

I've criticised a Guardian article, entirely justifiably. As for the underlying issue, it's a design consideration for usability. I actually don't like it, but I respect the choice.

Oh, prove a negative, you mean?

>Not convincing

I'd love you to explain to me an even more plausible way to implement a backdoor than "write one, properly."

> by modifying the code

This is news?

>"So why should anyone believe they wouldn't invest in the effort to exploit this hole"

Because it would be cheaper and far more secure, convenient an scalable to build a _real_ back door.

>"provider can at any time decide that now they want to eavesdrop into this or that conversation"

and having hijacked one message in this scenario, what happens to the rest of the conversation? what happens to that message, too?

a) just check my twitter for proof - and my 4-digit Slashdot ID. :-)

b) i've built a reputation for 25 years, saying such things. Go dig up my USENET from 1991. Hasn't done me any harm that I care about, and it has done me measurable good when people see me commit to a set of values or a proposition with no "if", "and" or "but".

c) at least I'm funny. :-)

Because there are way better ways to drill holes in E2E than this, when in fact you own the codebase.

Currently, since July, I am employed by nobody. And loving it.

Previously to that I worked at Facebook, built their Tor onion, and build Facebook Messenger E2E crypto.

So, I'm competent to comment, and beholden to nobody :-P

i've been suffering this and writing it up at my blog:

http://dropsafe.crypticide.com/article/4633

- for 2 or 3 weeks now, it's good to see it getting some press at last. Since my kindle no longer takes a full charge after these shenanigans, I am pressing for a full replacement of the Kindle, and a better solution for the cover.