Table of Contents
Encrypted messaging is A boon for mobile communications, whether you’re simply sending standard text messages to friends that you want to keep private or engaging in interactions that are best kept secret for security reasons. Apps like Signal and Telegram offer users the ability to exchange messages that can only be read by the sender and receiver. Of course, people can also use that privacy as a way to conduct unsavory transactions without having to worry about their communications being exposed.
Encrypted messaging has been in the news over the past few weeks, largely due to the arrest of Telegram CEO Pavel Durov, who the French government accuses of failing to comply with law enforcement demands to help catch some people who are using the app for criminal activities. Durov’s arrest also sheds light on the rising profile of Signal, a fully encrypted messaging app that has long taken a stance against collecting data from its users.
This week in Gadget LabWIRED security writer Andy Greenberg joins us to talk about how encrypted messaging works, what can go wrong, and how while Telegram and Signal may seem similar, the ways they operate are different and could affect what makes them responsible for what users share on their platforms.
Program Notes
Read Andy’s interview with Signal’s president Meredith Whittaker. Read Lily Hay Newman and Morgan Meeker’s report on the Telegram founder’s arrest and their broader criminal investigations. Follow all of WIRED’s coverage of Signal and Telegram.
Recommendations
Andy recommends the memoirs My glorious defeats: hacktivist, narcissist and anonymous by Barrett Brown. Mike recommends taking a ride in a Waymo, just to get a sense of the self-driving car future that lies ahead. Lauren recommends The bell ringer‘s Story about the new baseball teamthe Oakland Ballers.
You can find Andy Greenberg on social media @agreenberg.bsky.socialLauren Goode is on @Lauren Goode. Michael Calore is at @sandwich fight@heads.social. Bling the main hotline at @Gadget LabThe show is produced by Boone Ashworth (@Boone Ashworth). Our theme music is from Solar keys.
How to listen
You can always listen to this week’s podcast via the audio player on this page, but if you want to subscribe for free to get all the episodes, here’s how:
If you’re on an iPhone or iPad, open the app called Podcasts, or simply Click this linkYou can also download an app like Overcast or Pocket Casts and search for Gadget Lab. If you’re on Android, you can find us on the Google Podcasts app by simply clicking playing hereWe are in Spotify Also. And in case you really need it, Here is the RSS feed.
