<story><title>Telegram moves to protect identity of Hong Kong protesters</title><url>https://www.reuters.com/article/us-hongkong-telegram-exclusive/exclusive-messaging-app-telegram-moves-to-protect-identity-of-hong-kong-protesters-idUSKCN1VK2NI</url></story><parent_chain><item><author>spondyl</author><text>re: needing an ID for SIM cards, that&amp;#x27;s interesting!&lt;p&gt;Here in New Zealand, I can freely purchase any prepay SIM without ID and use it straight away. Most, if not all dairies carry them too.</text></item><item><author>Mediterraneo10</author><text>&amp;gt; The app automatically matches phone numbers with the user names in the group. Chinese authorities then only need to request the owners of the phone numbers from the local telecom service in order to learn the users’ true identities.&lt;p&gt;This is a flaw common to services that rely on phone numbers as IDs. In many countries, one cannot purchase a SIM card without showing ID (and the seller makes a photocopy of the ID to provide to the authorities). That means that there cannot be true anonymity. Know the phone number, know the person.&lt;p&gt;I am always baffled when people claim that PGP-encrypted e-mail is passé because it leaks metadata, when Signal and Telegram leak metadata too and, furthermore, metadata that can be immediately associated with a specific person in many countries.</text></item><item><author>myself248</author><text>&amp;gt; Protesters believe Chinese security officials have exploited the function by uploading large quantities of phone numbers.&lt;p&gt;&amp;gt; The app automatically matches phone numbers with the user names in the group. Chinese authorities then only need to request the owners of the phone numbers from the local telecom service in order to learn the users’ true identities.&lt;p&gt;&amp;gt; Telegram has detected evidence that Chinese authorities may have uploaded numbers to identify protesters, said a person with direct knowledge of the situation.&lt;p&gt;Signal does&amp;#x2F;did this too: &lt;a href=&quot;https:&amp;#x2F;&amp;#x2F;news.ycombinator.com&amp;#x2F;item?id=12590979&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;https:&amp;#x2F;&amp;#x2F;news.ycombinator.com&amp;#x2F;item?id=12590979&lt;/a&gt;</text></item></parent_chain><comment><author>ddeck</author><text>The same is true in Hong Kong, no ID required.&lt;p&gt;You can even purchase cards without ID that also work in Mainland China and aren&amp;#x27;t subject to the great firewall.</text></comment>
<story><title>Telegram moves to protect identity of Hong Kong protesters</title><url>https://www.reuters.com/article/us-hongkong-telegram-exclusive/exclusive-messaging-app-telegram-moves-to-protect-identity-of-hong-kong-protesters-idUSKCN1VK2NI</url></story><parent_chain><item><author>spondyl</author><text>re: needing an ID for SIM cards, that&amp;#x27;s interesting!&lt;p&gt;Here in New Zealand, I can freely purchase any prepay SIM without ID and use it straight away. Most, if not all dairies carry them too.</text></item><item><author>Mediterraneo10</author><text>&amp;gt; The app automatically matches phone numbers with the user names in the group. Chinese authorities then only need to request the owners of the phone numbers from the local telecom service in order to learn the users’ true identities.&lt;p&gt;This is a flaw common to services that rely on phone numbers as IDs. In many countries, one cannot purchase a SIM card without showing ID (and the seller makes a photocopy of the ID to provide to the authorities). That means that there cannot be true anonymity. Know the phone number, know the person.&lt;p&gt;I am always baffled when people claim that PGP-encrypted e-mail is passé because it leaks metadata, when Signal and Telegram leak metadata too and, furthermore, metadata that can be immediately associated with a specific person in many countries.</text></item><item><author>myself248</author><text>&amp;gt; Protesters believe Chinese security officials have exploited the function by uploading large quantities of phone numbers.&lt;p&gt;&amp;gt; The app automatically matches phone numbers with the user names in the group. Chinese authorities then only need to request the owners of the phone numbers from the local telecom service in order to learn the users’ true identities.&lt;p&gt;&amp;gt; Telegram has detected evidence that Chinese authorities may have uploaded numbers to identify protesters, said a person with direct knowledge of the situation.&lt;p&gt;Signal does&amp;#x2F;did this too: &lt;a href=&quot;https:&amp;#x2F;&amp;#x2F;news.ycombinator.com&amp;#x2F;item?id=12590979&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;https:&amp;#x2F;&amp;#x2F;news.ycombinator.com&amp;#x2F;item?id=12590979&lt;/a&gt;</text></item></parent_chain><comment><author>codedokode</author><text>In Russia one cannot (in theory; actually it&amp;#x27;s possible sometimes). In Japan an ID is required as far as I know.</text></comment>