Decentralized messengers with client-to-client encryption: Babelnet
Instead of being a "Negative-Nancy" and complain about the current status of "old-socialmedia" and all these problems with lacking privacy, I wanted to try and focus on solutions. So I started this series on "Decentralized messengers with client-to-client encryption", these articles will be fairly short and if you are an expert, (unlike me), feel free to share and give feedback in the comment section.
Solutions not problems!
I wanted to bring forth solutions simply because I think normal people need to be safer online and I wanted to take a closer look at the different options. My last article was about the messaging app: Briar, this time Im writing about Babelnet.
Babelnet
Babelnet is on the wikipedia list of "messengers with client-to-client encryption" it's not open source, but according to wikipedia it's decentralized. The target audience seems to be corporate entities like management and businesses, lawyers and consultants, healthcare, the financial sector, and even government. Since spying and data collection is a problem especially for people who work for the government, I can understand why there would be a dire need for a safer communication app like Babelnet is proposing to be.
Image source: www.oksystems.com
Is Babelnet safe?
Since I have never tried it myself I have no idea, but they do have a few quite serious corporate clients like Huawei, T-mobile, Omnicom group, DHL and Toyota... The app is created by a Czech software company called OKsystems.
Babelnet will provide the right secure communication, allowing you to replace the unsafe service, which you are probably running on. From experience we know of many compelling reasons to start using Babelnet and there will be many more that you yourself will be aware of. Threats to communication security are a clear and present danger and it's time for change. This is a quote from their website, www.babelnet.com
After looking at their website, it looks like this app and the cryptography is centralized, maybe Im wrong but it looks form their illustrations in their, How does it work section on their website that all the communication goes through their "babelnet server", so the message would be encrypted end to end, but going through their "babelnet server" so maybe Im wrong but this doesn't sound like it's a 100% client-to-client decentralization, this does not mean that its less secure, but I guess their users trust Babelnet not to exploit this somehow. And to be honest Im not a cryptographer so I cannot tell you if they could exploit this or not...
Maybe it's even safer this way?
Messages, once encrypted, are sent to the Babelnet Messaging Server (BMS) for delivery. BMS notifies the recipient that have a new message waiting to be delivered and enables the recipient to download the message. Should the message contain an attachment, a preview is sent along with message as well as a link for asynchronous download of the original attachment. The Babelnet server administrator can set the maximum time period for which it is possible to access and download attachments. Should the attachment expires, it is automatically deleted from the server.
This is a quote from their website, www.babelnet.com
Not a 100% client-to-client or at least not decentralized, secure, yes probably, if you trust Babelnet.
This is a service you pay for with money, and it is aimed at corporate entities where security is essential. They do have a free product called "Babelnet Lite" it doesn't have all the features, but it looks interesting. In the news section of their website there is some harsh criticism towards the competition like an article on how WhatsApp is vulnerable to hackers and that Telegram "Has lost a case before the Russian Supreme Court" (and have to hand over their encryption keys, etc)...
• I would love to hear your opinion, is Babelnet safer then Telegram or WhatsApp?
• Did you try Babelnet?
• Do you think safe & secure communication is over-rated because of "YOLO"?
• Please share your opinion in the comment section?
Sources:
https://www.oksystem.com/us/news/new-version-of-babelnet...
Wikipedia.org Messengers_with_client-to-client_encryption
https://www.babelnet.com/en/
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Encrypted messaging in itself is not so complicated. It becomes complicated if you need to sustain high volumes (Think Viber, Whatsapp, Facebook messenger) and then you need really crack engineers who are able to optimize at all levels and the best products the market can offer
A server-based "star haped" or "hub and spoke" network is vulnerable to the central server being down or DDos-ed or hacked.
For corporate settings where the need for performance is moderate, what sells is not as much the product as the ability of the sales organisation
Heck, if I had good sales people I could sell an encrypted-messaging service based on the steem blockchain !
@sorin.cristescu
Yeah, I realized encrypted communication services might be a bit above my "pay grade".
But basically I just wanted to bring up some examples, post a few brief articles. So far it looks like a niche where a serious actor could step in and probably be very successful, I believe normal people want to find a safer alternative, they don't know who to trust or where to turn, so they continue with their current less safe alternative...
Encrypted-messaging service based on the steem blockchain, sound like an interesting project.
Thanks a lot for your input @sorin.cristecu, it's always appreciated!!!
/FF
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howdy sir friendly-fenix! hahaha this is a joke for me to try and understand all this technical talk so I won't try to bs anyone, I have not much clue about it but wanted to stop in and say that I like that you're presenting some good reviews because like you said, people want security so good job!
Yeah @janton this is very brief, Im not a security expert or anything, just wanted to bring up some alternatives (not even real reviews, Im not testing these alternatives, not yet anyway)...
Did one on "briar" it's less corporate and more for journalists and activists, but people where saying it was sponsored by "the government" and there for bad... He he...=)
I don't care so much about "the government", more worried about the integrity of these private companies and what the heck they might be doing with our private information in the future, sell it to the highest bidder etc...
Thanks a lot for your comment it's most appreciated!
/FF
howdy sir friendly-fenix! I understand and I agree that it's the private companies that gather the information and then sell it to the governments. Not enough privacy in the world today.
What about this weekend, any plans?
Hello @janton!
You are right, and the government is my last concern, Im more afraid of insurance companies, banks, private security companies, future employers and such, just being able to buy your "case file" from one of these "socialmedia companies" or from one of their "advertising affiliates" etc...
For the weekend:
Im going on a trip to see some relatives.
And you?
/FF
sir friendly -fenix! great points about the security.
As far as this weekend I was going to catch up on mowing the yard but it's dark, cloudy and thundering right now so it looks like rain.
Otherwise I'll work a little offline and then keep at it here on steemit.
A trip huh? That sounds good, do you travel often or is this a rarity?