kontalk is a Free Software replacement for whatsapp - you can chat with anyone if you know their phone number using a data connection (cheaper sms for many people). See http://kontalk.org
Currently it is available only on android. Their next version would support XMPP and it would make it easy to get it working on other platforms. One person in the audience at Mumbai asked me how they would know if my contact has a kontalk account if they don't store everyone's number? I asked the upstream and he confirmed my guess. When you register your number, the server sends you an sms to confirm your number and the number is discarded. A one way hash of the number is used as username (like storing passwords, the server can never guess the number based on the hash). So when you want to talk to someone in your phone contact list, the client will make a hash and send it to the server to find the public. The public key of the user will be signed by the server and all communications will be end to end encrypted. Only way to spy would installing apps on the users' phones. This is simply brilliant, the encryption solution we have been waiting for, as easy as whatsapp! This is a real, easy, working, free software solution for completely private communications. If you are worried about terrorists then the culprits are all our governments, the chief one the USA. It is indeed harder to catch terrorists now, but you gave us no choice when you misused your powers. You were not looking for terrorist when you were listening to Angela Merckel, Dilma Rouseff, UN or EU parliament, it is only about power and control. Please share this widely in your local lists and networks. Cheers Praveen -- പ്രവീണ് അരിമ്പ്രത്തൊടിയില് You have to keep reminding your government that you don't get your rights from them; you give them permission to rule, only so long as they follow the rules: laws and constitution. _______________________________________________ network mailing list [email protected] http://lists.fosscom.in/listinfo.cgi/network-fosscom.in
