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IPFS News Link • Techno Gadgets

Google Backs New Messaging Rival to Apple, Facebook That Even the Feds Will Love

• http://recode.net, By Mark Bergen

Text messaging on Androids will soon have many of the nifty features — rich photos and videos, group chats and so on — that iPhones and popular messaging apps have.

The move is part of Google's mobile strategy to keep users from flocking to Apple and Facebook, owner of two popular messaging apps.

But it's also a reminder of the thorny, complicated world in which Android operates when it comes to security.

That's because of the system's backbone. It's a spruced-up SMS platform called Rich Communications Services, designed by a consortium of carriers aiming to provide an alternative to immensely popular over-the-top messaging apps like Facebook's WhatsApp. Several security experts have pointed out that the system's privacy infrastructure is weaker than that of rivals with closed systems, making it vulnerable to malicious attacks or government access.


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