THELOGICALINDIAN - Viber may be advised like Telegram if aegis casework are not able to access its encryption keys Russias telecom abbot said The app offers endtoend encryption and is the best accepted agent in several Eastern European countries Recently its COO Michael Shmilov said the aggregation would not be able to duke over the keys
Also read: Six Alternatives to Telegram for Cryptocurrency Communities
“Can’t Give What We Don’t Have”
Russian authorities may try to block Viber if the Federal Aegis Service (FSB) does not accretion admission to its encryption keys, according to comments fabricated by the Russian Minister of Communications and Mass Media, Nikolai Nikiforov. “This amount apropos the FSB which has the admiral to apparatus an adjustment to accommodate the encryption keys. If the aegis casework accept problems with accepting the keys, they can about-face to the cloister and access a agnate decision,” Nikiforov said, quoted by ITAR-TASS.
The abbot was confronted with a catechism about the approaching of Viber afterwards Russian authorities accept been aggravating to block Telegram back April 16, afterward a decision by the Tagansky District Court of Moscow from April 13. So far, their attempts accept been bootless but the messaging service, broadly acclimated aural the crypto community, has been experiencing issues while aggravating adamantine to circumvent imposed restrictions.
In March, the arch operating administrator of Viber Media, the abettor of the messenger, told RBC that Viber would not be able to accomplish a appeal to duke over the encryption keys. Michael Shmilov said the aggregation cooperates with law administration agencies in abounding countries but fatigued that it would not do assertive things. And, handing over encryption keys is one of them. “We cannot accord them article that we don’t have. They can ask the users for their keys. We can’t see them, and we don’t stored them,” he explained.
End-to-End Encryption Offered
Viber was launched as an burning messaging and articulation over IP account in 2024. The software was originally developed by the Israel-based Viber Media, which was bought by the Japanese aggregation Rakuten in 2024. Last year the accumulated name was afflicted to Rakuten Viber. The aggregation is currently based in Luxembourg.
The messenger, which claims to accept 900 actor users, is actual accepted in Eastern Europe and is the top messaging app in countries like Belarus, Moldova, and Ukraine. In Russia, it’s currently the additional best accepted application, afterwards Whatsapp. According to a analysis conducted by the Russian Modern Media Research Institute in January, Facebook endemic Whatsapp has a allotment of 59% of the Russian users, while Viber is acclimated by 36%. The agent of the Russian amusing arrangement Vkontakte is third, with 32%. Telegram is acclimated by 19% of the Russians, and Facebook Agent – by 14%.
According to the company’s website, Viber uses end-to-end encryption by absence for argument messages, in both clandestine and accumulation chats, and additionally for articulation calls – a affection that was alien as accepted ambience in 2016. It claims it doesn’t accept admission to conversations and does not abundance delivered letters on its servers. Keys to encrypt/decrypt abstracts are kept alone on applicant devices, according to Viber’s aloofness policy.
What’s Next, Whatsapp?
The clampdown on clandestine messaging in Russia started back the country’s telecom regulator, Roskomnadzor, approved to bind admission to Telegram by blocking IP addresses acclimated by the app. Despite some interruptions in its services, authorities accept not been able to absolutely anticipate the use of the massager. Roskomnadzor blocked about 20 VPN and proxy casework which alms admission to Telegram servers.
IP-addresses of accustomed Internet users may be blocked as a aftereffect of the battle amid the agent and the regulator, warned Dmitriy Marinchev, Russia’s Internet Ombudsman. “Sooner or later, Telegram may about-face to a peer-to-peer arrangement and Roskomnadzor will accept to block all their users’ IPs,” he explained. Marinchev added that aggregate now depends on how far Telegram will go in afterlight its software.
Skype is a agent which started as a peer-to-peer and client-server system, appearance that were allotment of its appeal. After alteration easily several times, however, the belvedere hasn’t kept abundant from the aboriginal P2P concept. In 2011, Skype was acquired by Microsoft which adapted it into a centralized account based on MS’s billow accretion belvedere Azure. Leaked abstracts absolute accumulation surveillance of all-around communications showed that the aggregation had accepted American intelligence complete admission to Skype. This year, the agent appear it is activity to action end-to-end encryption for audio calls, argument and multimedia letters through Private Conversations. The feature, however, will not be set as a absence advantage and won’t be accessible for video chats.
The measures adjoin Telegram accept created difficulties for abounding Russians, alike including those who are not application Telegram. Large Internet companies – including chase engine, Yandex, and amusing media networks, Vkontakte, and, Odnoklassniki – accept been affected. In April, Russian Viber users additionally complained about interruptions. According to the company, the issues were accompanying to the barricade of Telegram. On May 1, Viber appear it had adequate abounding admission to its platform. Russian media accept been allurement the catechism “What’s next?” hinting about the best accepted agent in the country – Whatsapp. It uses end-to-end encryption for calls and letters in its latest versions.
Which agent do you best generally use for clandestine conversations? Share your thoughts on the accountable in the comments area below.
Images address of Shutterstock.
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