Cartoon explains how world's cutest encrypted chat service works

Cryptocat Adventure! from Nadim Kobeissi on Vimeo.

Sean Bonner shared this cute video for Cryptocat, a web-based service that enables secure, encrypted online chatting and file transfer between two parties.

The creator of Cryptocat, a 22-year old named Nadim Kobeissi, says Cryptocat has earned him the dreaded "SSSS" mark of suspicion on his boarding passes. From Wired:

When he flies through the US, he’s generally had the notorious “SSSS” printed on his boarding pass, marking him for searches and interrogations — which Kobeissi says have focused on his development of the chat client.

His SSSS’s can mean hours of waiting, and Kobeissi says he has been searched, questioned, had his bags and even his passport taken away and returned later. But he’s kept his sense of humor about the experience, even joking from the airport on his Twitter account.

Cryptocat

Mark Frauenfelder is the founder of Boing Boing and the editor-in-chief of MAKE and Cool Tools. Twitter: @frauenfelder. Come and hear Mark speak at the ALA conference in Chicago on July 1.

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http://www.facebook.com/julianreischl Julian Reischl

Some other abbreviation than twice the dreaded “SS” didn’t come to mind of those who decided to call it “SSSS”? Nobody seems to go to school anymore…
- http://lemoutan.blogspot.com/ Lemoutan
  
  Maybe they did go to school. Maybe that’s the point.
SekiSelu

Edit: I should read the descriptions more carefully! Props to the music for this wonderful instructional video :)
Won Word

SSSSS? Pfft—that’s like getting teased in kindergarten: kid stuff.

1. Print two boarding passes
2. Present one to the counter at “check-in”; note the SSSS now stamped next to your name
3. Throw away first pass
4. Present pass #2 to TSA person in “security” line.
5. Do the take-off-shoes-just-a-crotch-grab-no-radiation-thanks dance
6. Pick up irradiated carry-ons/put on shoes, walk to gate
- cegev
  
  It appears that this SSSS is one that’s actually printed on the boarding passes, not the SSSS that airline representatives write/stamp on passes when they feel like being jerks.
  - knappa
    
    Then you could print to PDF, add a white box on top of the SSSS, then print to paper.
Boundegar

But what if this software enables bad people to talk about bad things?
- V10_Rob
  
  And what if one bad guy goes to another bad guy’s house and talks about bad stuff in person?
  - https://launchpad.net/~zak-mckracken Zak McKracken
    
    Even worse: What if a bad person does something bad without talking about it on acebook beforehand? Is there a law against it? Now I can’t sleep anymore!
    - soylent_plaid
      
      Imagine what happens when a bad person does something bad without talking to anyone about it!
      - http://halfbakedmaker.org Robert Baruch
        
        What if a bad person does something so bad that it’s good?
  - Boundegar
    
    That would be bad!
- The Rizz
  
  That sounds like it would be bad.
Mitchell Glaser

I’m glad he thinks it’s funny, I guess. I don’t agree at all.
- http://insight.pinkonbrown.org/ Dr P Fenderson
  
  You don’t agree at all…what? What are you referencing?
  - soylent_plaid
    
    Don’t be sad for him. He just thinks that if the government can’t listen in, the terrorists win.
    - http://www.nathanhornby.com/ Nathan Hornby
      
      I’m pretty sure he’s referring to the TSA nonsense. As that’s the only thing that referenced humour.
      - http://insight.pinkonbrown.org/ Dr P Fenderson
        
        Ooooohhh…That makes sense now. Thanks for context! I was honestly confused.
http://www.creaturesoflight.com dagfooyo

The service sounds awesome. The video was incredible. I want to know who composed the music for it, I could listen to that all day.
- fleshflood
  
  On the Vimeo page, Rich Vreeland is credited for the music.
  http://www.richvreeland.com/
retchdog

i was hoping that during the “open source and transparent” part, that we would see an x-ray view of the kitty. ah, well, still neat.
soylent_plaid

Step 1: Make safe, easy to use encrypted chat service.
Step 2: ???
Step 3: Government doesn’t like this, brands you as suspicious for life.

Note that there is no Step 2.
- http://lemoutan.blogspot.com/ Lemoutan
  
  There is. But it’s classified.
- http://www.facebook.com/marko.raos Marko Raos
  
  Oooh, now I’m branded as “suspicious” by the “government”? Oh joy! I always wanted to experience what living in a distopian future is like! So when does this ride end? I’d fancy some Magic Mountain now.
John Maple

My country has turned into a work of science fiction with an anonymous author.
- http://twitter.com/sqlrob Rob
  
  Nah, it’s not anonymous. It’s by Eric Arthur Blair.
morcheeba

What’s up with the NSA’s Crypto Cat … I haven’t heard from her in a while!
http://www.nsa.gov/kids/bios/bios00001.shtml
- SoItBegins
  
  She switched sides.
- http://halfbakedmaker.org Robert Baruch
  
  She saw CueCat and they got into a big meow-fight.
Seto

Wait, but how am I supposed to securely send a link to the cryptocat chat room I’ve created?
- Momo the Monster
  
  I wondered the same thing, but I suppose you can just keep on eye on who’s in the room. If someone somehow intercepted or guessed your room name, they’ll show up in your room and you leave (previous messages are not displayed to new entrants).
perch

Funny they use Acebook, which is a social site for asexual folks.
redjade

https://crypto.cat/?c=boingboing
- http://halfbakedmaker.org Robert Baruch
  
  When I click that link, I get a “Waiting for realtime.services.disqus.com” message in Chrome’s status bar. It was so realtime that I turned into a skeleton with webs in it.
  - redjade
    
    I have the same problem – i never liked disqus, now i hate it
  - redjade
    
    works now! woo hoo!
http://twitter.com/isocny ISOC-NY

David Solomonoff interviewed Nadim at the recent Circumvention Tools Hackfest in NYC. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6VHuAZGc9yM