Encrypted chat app Signal adds domain fronting to bypass censorship in the Middle East
Open Whisper Systems — makers of the encrypted chat app Signal — found out that the Egyptian government had blocked access to the app earlier this week. The company has now rolled out an update to Signal that circumvents government censorship through a technique called domain fronting.
Signal is now routing its traffic through Google's CDNs (content delivery networks), so all messages sent on the platform now look like requests to Google services. Essentially, this means that for a country to block access to Signal, they'd also have to switch off connectivity to all of Google's services.
Signal described the process in detail on its blog:
In addition to circumventing government censorship, the latest update also includes support for adding doodles, stickers, and text to images. If you're looking for a secure way to communicate on Android, you should take a look at Signal.
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Harish Jonnalagadda is Android Central's Senior Editor of Asia. In his current role, he oversees the site's coverage of Chinese phone brands, networking products, and AV gear. He has been testing phones for over a decade, and has extensive experience in mobile hardware and the global semiconductor industry. Contact him on Twitter at @chunkynerd.