"However, it appears the defendant did not have that setting enabled, which, in turn, seemingly allowed the system to store the content in the database."

"[A]llowing the system to store the content in the database" where a third party, such as Apple or a government, can access it is the default

Only a small minority of users know about settings and how to change them. The vast majority of users do not change default settings. Apple knows this

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rsync 5 hours ago | parent | next [-]

“Only a small minority of users know about settings and how to change them. The vast majority of users do not change default settings.”

Even worse, whatever critical settings you may set as a sophisticated user will frequently be reset, or changed, or re-organized under different settings… And of course, set back to insecure defaults… With subsequent software updates.

This is a regular occurrence with Firefox and privacy settings.

Whatever the actual impetus is, we should act as if this is intentional.

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nine_k 6 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-]

If you care about security at all, you disable any previews on the lock screen. The lock screen is by definition visible to anyone without any authorization. Showing anything on it immediately destroys any secrecy. It must be obvious to anyone capable of elementary logic inference.

If you don't know how to disable it, you use your favorite search engine / LLM / knowledgeable relative to find out, and disable it.

But if you just didn't pay attention, "never thought about it", you don't care about security, and no amount of technical means would help, sorry.

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loeg 6 hours ago | parent | next [-]

> If you care about security at all, you disable any previews on the lock screen. The lock screen is by definition visible to anyone without any authorization. Showing anything on it immediately destroys any secrecy. It must be obvious to anyone capable of elementary logic inference.

With at least one combination of settings, it shows the message content only when the lockscreen has been unlocked, but not yet swiped away.

	▲	nine_k 5 hours ago \| parent [-]
		This is insidious indeed. Still I would suggest that any secret message, as it leaves the app that handles secrecy, ceases to be secret. This BTW also applies to copy-paste operations, screen readers, etc.

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gertop 3 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

Disabling notification preview in the operating system settings doesn't prevent the issue, they're still saved in the database.

The only way they're not saved is to disable name/content in signal itself.

Maybe you're not as capable of elementary logical inference as you thought?

	▲	nine_k 2 hours ago \| parent [-]
		Disabling may be not sufficient (which is pretty insidious), but I still posit that enabling message preview is guaranteed secrecy loss. But indeed, the idea that disabled notifications are still stored, and not directed to /dev/null immediately, cannot be inferred from just observing the behavior of the phone UI.

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1vuio0pswjnm7 3 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-]

Imagine a parallel universe where stories about use of personal computers were written from a different perspective. For example,

"However, it appears Apple's system uses a default setting which, in turn, seemingly allowed it to store the defandant's content in Apple's database"

instead of

"However, it appears the defendant did not have that setting enabled which, in turn, seemingly allowed the system to stoire the content in the database"

In the later version, the defendant, namely his inaction in not changing a default setting, appears solely responsible for the outcome. And the actor that placed a copy of his incoming messages in a database that the actor created is referred to as "the system", not the corporation that wrote the system and sold the computer with this system pre-instaalled

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esseph 6 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

> Only a small minority of users know about settings and how to change them.

I couldn't believe this so went to look up some data on this.

Holy FUCK that is bleak. There needs to be way more computer education, not just "how2type" classes.

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sillysaurusx 4 hours ago | parent [-]

Unfortunately, users don’t want to learn. They want the app to do what they want. Anything involving learning is likely to get an instant “screw this” reaction. Seen it firsthand many times, and always found it mystifying.

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shooly 3 hours ago | parent [-]

Maybe if you consider the idea, that other people might have different interests than you, you'll find it a bit less mystifying.

	▲	sillysaurusx 3 hours ago \| parent \| next [-]
		Mind reading the rules and leaving more substantive comments? Ideally ones with less “you”s. Obviously the cause is different interests. Different interests can explain everything from a bad decision to going to sleep early. It says nothing useful.
	▲	esseph 32 minutes ago \| parent \| prev [-]
		If you don't know something is even possible, how do you know the application is working in the way you intend?