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Here's how ISIS tries to keep its online activity a secret (update: debunked)
It's no longer surprising that ISIS uses Telegram's secure messaging to conduct its terror campaigns, but what other tools does it use to keep its online actions under wraps? Thanks to researchers at the West Point military academy, we now have a good idea. They've obtained an ISIS operational security guide that shows the outfit's recommended internet services and software, as well as the policies they're supposed to follow. The extremists are advised to use Tor's anonymity network for browsing, Tails as their operating system and messaging services like Telegram, FireChat or iMessage. They're asked to rely on secure phones like the BlackPhone if they can. They're supposed to avoid both anything that gives away their location (for obvious reasons) as well as Dropbox, whose company-managed encryption theoretically lets governments demand access to cloud storage.
FireChat gets offline private messaging
FireChat, that offline messenger that Hong Kong locals used during the height of their pro-democracy protests, now has off-the-grid private messaging capability. If you recall, you could only use its public "Nearby" tab if you want to talk to people in your area without depending on an internet connection. Now, you can contact someone in private -- provided that you're not the only two people using the app in your town. In order for the PMs to go through, messages hop on whatever's available: multiple local networks, WiFi, Bluetooth and even the internet. According to TechCrunch, FireChat uses the store-and-forward technique, wherein your message is sent to the nearest available network and kept there until the next one becomes available. Don't worry, though: PMs will be encrypted to prevent other users from reading them.
Hong Kong's pro-democracy protests spur growth for secure messaging apps
Social media and civil unrest have long gone hand-in-hand, from coordinating revolution during the Arab Spring to repressing corruption in Turkey. Amid pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong, locals have taken to the location-based messaging app FireChat to communicate with each other. 100,000 local users signed into the off-the-grid messaging app for the first time last weekend after a student activist recommended the app for communication should authorities switch off cellular networks. The app creates a mesh network between nearby users using WiFi, cellular data, or Bluetooth, allowing them to communicate with people even when strict firewalls are in place. For now, it looks as though we're a long way away from the heavy-handed tactics of other governments, but FireChat's sudden popularity shows locals are keen to stay one step ahead when it comes to communication.
This screenshot perfectly sums up FireChat right now
FireChat, the new "off the grid" chat client for iPhone, kind of exploded in popularity yesterday thanks to a number of piece around the web announcing its existence. The app features two modes: A hyperlocal "Nearby" chat mode that connects directly to neighboring iPhones and doesn't connect to the internet, and an internet-enabled "Everyone" room where users from all over the world chime in with a deafening roar. Unless you're in a college dorm and looking for neighbors to watch the NCAA tournament with, or commuting in San Francisco, the "Nearby" tab is probably going to be pretty bare for you, which leaves you with the massive crapshoot of the "Everyone" room. But don't worry, if you don't have enough time to chat with your fellow FireChatters, you can simply check out this screenshot and get essentially the same experience. Enjoy. 1. The person who has been on FireChat all night. 2. The person answering a question from 12 pages back with a one-word answer. 3. The person hoping to start a meaningful conversation that absolutely will not happen. 4. The person letting everyone else know that they have no idea what they're doing. 5. The person trying to make a local connection, and never finding one. 6. The person who thinks any anonymous chatroom must be filled with naked women. 7. The person being a total idiot. 8. The person who has completely misunderstood how FireChat actually works. Congratulations, you've just experienced everything FireChat has to offer.
FireChat is a new way to chat "off the grid" but caution is advised
FireChat (free) is one of the new generation of apps that lets you communicate to nearby iOS devices without Internet or mobile phone coverage. It shows you other people who are local to you, say on the same camping trip, and you can chat or share images using Apple's Multipeer Connectivity Framework, which can use WiFi or Bluetooth to connect two or more devices. You'll have to be able to run AirDrop to get it all to work, and that includes all iPhone 5 models, the fourth-generation iPad, the iPad mini, and fifth-generation iPod touch models. My older iPad would not work at all. The app also lets you use standard Internet connectivity to participate in a running conversation with FireChat users anywhere in the world. There are no logins or accounts required, and no setup. Everything is open, and that is the blessing and the curse of this app. You have no way to filter who contacts you, so at a venue like a basketball game you could be deluged with abuse. The range of the app is about 30 feet. When I selected 'everywhere' from the menu, which makes FireChat not local, I saw hundreds of racist remarks, silly comments about the Malaysian Air incident, and just vile insults. If that's the freedom of the Internet, most people won't be interested. The idea of FireChat is good, set up a quick ad-hoc network for an event and chat away with no setup or complicated configuration. But the global chat needs an off button, and I think for even the local chats you should be able to filter out abusers. As it stands, FireChat is a clever idea undermined by the very openness it touts as an advantage. I watched as conversations in FireChat got really ugly quickly. FireChat isn't a universal app. As stated above, it needs newer hardware that can run AirDrop. FireChat is optimized for the iPhone 5 and requires iOS 7 or greater to run.
