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by wolvoleo 45 days ago
Yeah what would really get me onboard with RCS if it were actually open, if I could choose which RCS provider I wanted to use. Like a privacy-driven foundation similar to Signal. Someone I could actually trust.

But that would mean that the entire protocol would have to be made open including E2EE, and that other parties besides Google and the telcos would be allowed to run servers. Those things are very unlikely to happen.
1 comments
Groxx 44 days ago
I wouldn't be particularly surprised if they're hiding the spec / charging pointless $$$ to reduce access, but I was under the impression that it would be available, like RCS's spec itself. e.g.:

the RCS v3 page: https://www.gsma.com/solutions-and-impact/technologies/netwo...

^ which links to the E2EE v1 spec: https://www.gsma.com/solutions-and-impact/technologies/netwo... ("download" is a direct link to a pdf file)

and https://media.gsma.com/assets/2026/rcs/RCC.16+v3.0.pdf is v3.0, which appears possibly detailed enough at a glance, and there seems to be a v4 and I can't download v2 due to a broken page. but I have no idea what's currently supported anywhere in practice, if any.

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wolvoleo 44 days ago
Ah when I last checked the E2EE was only in practice implemented by Google and invented by them. It looks like this might have been opened up, unless this is an earlier version somehow? And interconnect traffic to e.g. iMessage was not E2EE.

I have to look up on this again as the last time I looked at it was during late corona (2022? 2023?) when there was a local talk to adopt RCS (which failed)

But the problem remains that they simply won't talk to you if you set up your own server. You have to be in a select club to be able to run one.

It's very unlikely I'll ever switch it on because I don't use any google account on my Android and I don't trust them nor the carriers for reasons I've clarified in the other posts in this thread.

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Groxx 44 days ago
yea, from my understanding Google has had E2EE when messaging itself for a couple years or so now, mirroring how iMessage encrypts messages to itself. iMessage is even very similar (maybe identical) to MLS, and Google Messages might be as well but I don't know the details. but neither encrypts when sending to the other, nor any other client/server/etc, because there is no agreed-and-implemented spec last I looked (a few months ago).

they have, however, been touting the security improvements that RCS brings ever since work first started on it. which is so misleading that it's outright malicious imo.

Google Messages and iMessage AFAIK send RCS messages to each other just fine, but it's not encrypted. yet. ever, IMO, until the moment it's rolled out.

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