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Signal Developer Explains Why Early Encrypted Messaging Tools Flopped


Signal developer Moxie Marlinspike criticized early encryption software's user-unfriendly design at Black Hat 2024, admitting he and others initially failed to consider non-technical users' needs. Speaking with Black Hat founder Jeff Moss, Marlinspike said developers of tools like Pretty Good Privac...

Signal developer Moxie Marlinspike criticized early encryption software's user-unfriendly design at Black Hat 2024, admitting he and others initially failed to consider non-technical users' needs. Speaking with Black Hat founder Jeff Moss, Marlinspike said developers of tools like Pretty Good Privacy (PGP) wrongly assumed users would adopt complex practices like running keyservers and signing keys over dinner. "You take on the complexity instead of making the user deal with it," Marlinspike contrasted PGP's arcane interface with Signal's more accessible design.

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