Sidhartha Shuklamoneycontrol.com
Say hello to Google's new messaging app 'Allo', rolled out on September 21. The app has been touted by the tech giant as a progressive step for privacy.
Google has released Allo to go head-to-head with messaging veterans like WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger.
With the backing of artificial intelligence, Allo's chatbot, Google Assistant offers its users brilliant web search facility and smart intuitive replies but it lacks the document sharing options which WhatsApp and Telegram provide.
But the feature that has received everyone's praise and scrutiny is the 'end-to-end encryption' that Allo provides.
Allo does not have a default end-to-end encryption like WhatsApp, but rather like Google Chrome, it provides an 'incognito' mode to activate E2E encryption.
What is end-to-end encryption?A mode of communication where only the communicating users i.e. the sender and receiver can read the messages - whether text, image, voice or video.
Allo gives discreet notifications and also has a self-destruct timer, which will be loved by privacy afficianados who want to keep their conversations a secret.
But there is one major drawback with Allo's incognito mode: it allows both the sender and receiver to take a screenshot of the chat, unlike Telegram, where the app completely prohibits taking screenshots during a secret chat.
This flaw defeats the purpose of E2E encryption as the conversation does not remain a secret anymore and can be shared or misused by either of the communicators.
A minor flaw in E2EE not the only concern
Former National Security Agency (NSA) contractor, CIA employee and probably the most famous whistleblower in history, Edward Snowden has asked people to stay wary of Allo's privacy promises.
In a series of tweets he criticized the app and advised users to avoid it.
What is #Allo? A Google app that records every message you ever send and makes it available to police upon request. https://t.co/EdPRC0G7Py— Edward Snowden (@Snowden) September 21, 2016
Free for download today: Google Mail, Google Maps, and Google Surveillance. That's #Allo. Don't use Allo. https://t.co/EdPRC0G7Py— Edward Snowden (@Snowden) September 21, 2016
@Snowden Did you take into account that the majority of users of WA store their entire chat histories not encrypted on Google Drive/iCloud?— Pavel Durov (@durov) September 21, 2016
@Snowden Even if you turn these backups off, your contacts will still backup their chats with you. This also means 0 security in WA groups.— Pavel Durov (@durov) September 21, 2016
@durov Your work is admirable, but respectfully, I believe it more helpful to respond to criticism through patch notes rather than Twitter.— Edward Snowden (@Snowden) September 21, 2016
@Snowden And real e2e for those who don't. While Whatsapp can switch off their "e2e" remotely from their server for any user at any time.— Pavel Durov (@durov) September 21, 2016
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