Let me get this straight...
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@Mer__edith
Can we get a comment on this?1) The default Signal setting to show message contents in push notifications seems... bad, assuming this article is accurate.
2) Does changing the in-Signal-app setting for Notification Content indeed prevent notifications from being stored anywhere, which by default contains incoming message bodies.@wdormann @Mer__edith it should probably be changed but you also have to weigh this against how many people would try Signal, see that it lacks message previews, and go back to SMS.
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@wdormann @mastodonmigration eh what?
On Android it just shows "you have a new message". Was this an Apple or a Signal decision?
@craignicol @wdormann @mastodonmigration On my Android it did show Name and message completely. Not sure if I have changed that setting myself in the past 8 years that I have been using Signal, or whether that is/was the default.
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@craignicol @wdormann @mastodonmigration On my Android it did show Name and message completely. Not sure if I have changed that setting myself in the past 8 years that I have been using Signal, or whether that is/was the default.
@erwinrossen @wdormann @mastodonmigration hmm. Entirely possible the default has changed
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@grammasaurus @omnicore @signalapp
The screenshot I shared is from the Signal app itself, which chooses to include the message content in notifications.
So I'd say that both are at fault.
@wdormann @omnicore @signalapp That’s not at all what I see on my phone for the signal app.
I’m using iOS 18.1.1–maybe the latest version has changed a lot?
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@wdormann @omnicore @signalapp That’s not at all what I see on my phone for the signal app.
I’m using iOS 18.1.1–maybe the latest version has changed a lot?
@grammasaurus @omnicore @signalapp
18.1.1, eh? If you don't install security updates, I wouldn't expect your experience to be like the rest of the world.
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@wdormann I mean, before 2025 did the average mainstream user have the US government in their threat model?
@marypcbuk @wdormann The government has always been a threat to any left of center activists. The right planned their insurrection on public Facebook groups without precautions.
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@tdpsk @Mer__edith
The problem is that such content is not included in unencrypted backups. So we mortals can't even confirm this, as we don't have access to full-device exploit tools such as Cellebrite.@wdormann @Mer__edith from what I understand it was forensically recounstructed from storage, the database itself is non-persistent (on the software layer). So something Apple could solve in a future update, e.g. by regularly properly wiping that part of storage.
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@wdormann @Mer__edith from what I understand it was forensically recounstructed from storage, the database itself is non-persistent (on the software layer). So something Apple could solve in a future update, e.g. by regularly properly wiping that part of storage.
@tdpsk @Mer__edith
Right, why is this data persistent at all? -
@Mer__edith
On the macOS side of things, we have confirmation that Signal notification contents get stored, even for disappearing messagesiOS sadly offers less visibility into what's going on. But the FBI probably appreciates that it's happening there too.
The default notification setting for Signal (on both iOS and macOS) ensures that potentially sensitive information leaks out of the Signal app. This is unfortunate.
@Mer__edith
From elsewhere on the interwebs: -
@Mer__edith
From elsewhere on the interwebs:@Mer__edith
From a worse place on the interwebs.
Implying:
Signal message content being present in Apple Notifications database even after Signal itself is deleted is apparently expected and fine.Signal message content being present for self-deleting messages is not (in their minds).
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@Mer__edith
From a worse place on the interwebs.
Implying:
Signal message content being present in Apple Notifications database even after Signal itself is deleted is apparently expected and fine.Signal message content being present for self-deleting messages is not (in their minds).
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@Mer__edith
From a worse place on the interwebs.
Implying:
Signal message content being present in Apple Notifications database even after Signal itself is deleted is apparently expected and fine.Signal message content being present for self-deleting messages is not (in their minds).
@wdormann that's exactly what I was worried about. It suggests that whatever the/an app sends to the notification service gets stored, since OS notification settings would most likely apply only after and not before storage. That's .. creepy but not too surprising.
Thanks for raising awareness!
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@wdormann that's exactly what I was worried about. It suggests that whatever the/an app sends to the notification service gets stored, since OS notification settings would most likely apply only after and not before storage. That's .. creepy but not too surprising.
Thanks for raising awareness!
@AwkwardTuring
It's easy to fix. It's just somewhat surprising to me that Signal ships with obviously insecure defaults. -
@AwkwardTuring
It's easy to fix. It's just somewhat surprising to me that Signal ships with obviously insecure defaults.@wdormann it is. I'm only worried about all the apps (or users for that matter) that rely on OS' built-in notification settings instead of more granular in-app-settings.
Again: not too surprising but leaves a sour taste nonetheless.
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@Mer__edith
From a worse place on the interwebs.
Implying:
Signal message content being present in Apple Notifications database even after Signal itself is deleted is apparently expected and fine.Signal message content being present for self-deleting messages is not (in their minds).
@wdormann @Mer__edith
My expectation as a user would be that the os stores notifications until they're read, unless I make a change otherwise. It seems like they're stored 'forever'. -
@wdormann @Mer__edith
My expectation as a user would be that the os stores notifications until they're read, unless I make a change otherwise. It seems like they're stored 'forever'.@FritzAdalis @Mer__edith
Right. And especially given the black box nature of the iOS platform, it would be nice for some official statements from the Apple and/or Signal side of things.Nobody wants to be surprised by things like this.
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@Mer__edith
From a worse place on the interwebs.
Implying:
Signal message content being present in Apple Notifications database even after Signal itself is deleted is apparently expected and fine.Signal message content being present for self-deleting messages is not (in their minds).
@Mer__edith
Note the precise use of deleted messages here. When you uninstall the Signal app, that doesn't flag it's messages as "deleted" so that Apple can remove them from the notifications database. (If Apple would ever comply with Signal's demands. iOS (and macOS) don't have such a feature)I don't think that this behavior maps up with users' expectations of the software. And for Signal to ship knowingly with a default setting that violates user expectations for a secure messaging app, well, I don't like it.
Don't get me wrong, I love the Signal product, and I've donated financially to it multiple times. But this ain't right.
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@Mer__edith
From a worse place on the interwebs.
Implying:
Signal message content being present in Apple Notifications database even after Signal itself is deleted is apparently expected and fine.Signal message content being present for self-deleting messages is not (in their minds).
@wdormann As I understand they "knowing why" (as of now) doesn't imply this was *expected* behavior before.
I'd compare the persistent (not self-deleting) messages dilemma to secure deletion: below the next architectural boundary you can't really decide what's happening to your data ("were the bits of that file really deleted from the disk?"), but in special cases you take extra steps to prevent leaks ("let's overwrite a bunch of times, hopefully it helps").
@Mer__edith -
@wdormann As I understand they "knowing why" (as of now) doesn't imply this was *expected* behavior before.
I'd compare the persistent (not self-deleting) messages dilemma to secure deletion: below the next architectural boundary you can't really decide what's happening to your data ("were the bits of that file really deleted from the disk?"), but in special cases you take extra steps to prevent leaks ("let's overwrite a bunch of times, hopefully it helps").
@Mer__edithA path that would make me feel more comfortable would be:
We've changed the default setting in Signal to not put message bodies in the (external-to-Signal) notifications database. At least until the dust has settled.
But no, the battle that is being chosen is:
We are pleading with Apple to have self-deleting messages not be permanently retained in the notifications database.I get that security vs. usability are usually at odds with each other. But I suppose I'd like a bit more transparency here.
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A path that would make me feel more comfortable would be:
We've changed the default setting in Signal to not put message bodies in the (external-to-Signal) notifications database. At least until the dust has settled.
But no, the battle that is being chosen is:
We are pleading with Apple to have self-deleting messages not be permanently retained in the notifications database.I get that security vs. usability are usually at odds with each other. But I suppose I'd like a bit more transparency here.
@wdormann I'd agree with that, but I don't know what level of control apps have on mobile.
@Mer__edith
