{"action":"created","issue":{"url":"https://api.github.com/repos/signalapp/Signal-Android/issues/7586","repository_url":"https://api.github.com/repos/signalapp/Signal-Android","labels_url":"https://api.github.com/repos/signalapp/Signal-Android/issues/7586/labels{/name}","comments_url":"https://api.github.com/repos/signalapp/Signal-Android/issues/7586/comments","events_url":"https://api.github.com/repos/signalapp/Signal-Android/issues/7586/events","html_url":"https://github.com/signalapp/Signal-Android/issues/7586","id":310087869,"number":7586,"title":"Signal backups are no longer readable outside of Signal, lacking documentation","user":{"login":"publicus","id":3667562,"avatar_url":"https://avatars0.githubusercontent.com/u/3667562?v=4","gravatar_id":"","url":"https://api.github.com/users/publicus","html_url":"https://github.com/publicus","followers_url":"https://api.github.com/users/publicus/followers","following_url":"https://api.github.com/users/publicus/following{/other_user}","gists_url":"https://api.github.com/users/publicus/gists{/gist_id}","starred_url":"https://api.github.com/users/publicus/starred{/owner}{/repo}","subscriptions_url":"https://api.github.com/users/publicus/subscriptions","organizations_url":"https://api.github.com/users/publicus/orgs","repos_url":"https://api.github.com/users/publicus/repos","events_url":"https://api.github.com/users/publicus/events{/privacy}","received_events_url":"https://api.github.com/users/publicus/received_events","type":"User","site_admin":false},"labels":[],"state":"closed","locked":false,"assignee":null,"assignees":[],"milestone":null,"comments":3,"created_at":"2018-03-30T15:01:34Z","updated_at":"2018-03-30T16:55:35Z","closed_at":"2018-03-30T15:25:54Z","author_association":"NONE","body":"<!-- This is a bug report template. By following the instructions below and filling out the sections with your information, you will help the developers to get all the necessary data to fix your issue.\r\nYou can also preview your report before submitting it. You may remove sections that aren't relevant to your particular case.\r\n\r\nBefore we begin, please note that this tracker is only for issues, not questions or comments.\r\n\r\nIf you are looking for support, please see our support center instead:\r\nhttps://support.whispersystems.org/\r\nor email support@whispersystems.org\r\n\r\nLet's begin with a checklist: replace the empty checkboxes [ ] below with checked ones [x] accordingly -->\r\n\r\nI have:\r\n- [x] searched open and closed issues for duplicates\r\n- [x] read https://github.com/signalapp/Signal-Android/wiki/Submitting-useful-bug-reports\r\n\r\n----------------------------------------\r\n\r\n### Bug description\r\nBefore version 4.17.5, Signal backups were in a plaintext XML format, which could be parsed by other programs (including on a desktop system). The current Signal documentation does not describe how to parse the new encrypted backup format into a plaintext format similar to what was possible before, or whether this is even possible.\r\n\r\nBefore version 4.17.5, I was regularly using the plaintext XML backups for (a) a text mining project, and (b) to have an offline copy of the text content of some of my chats, which I'd like to archive and be able to search through (outside of Signal).\r\n\r\nI recognize (following #7565 and #7473, as well as the [updated](https://support.signal.org/hc/en-us/articles/212535828-How-do-I-import-or-export-messages-on-Signal-Android-) [documentation](https://support.signal.org/hc/en-us/articles/360001890291)) that Signal now uses an encrypted format; I can see how this is useful for data security on the phone itself. But the plaintext format was really useful to me, and I am hoping that it is possible to decrypt an encrypted backup outside of Signal (for example, to be able to search through my messages in a text editor, or to parse my messages into a spreadsheet format).\r\n\r\n**Is decryption outside of Signal possible? If not, is plaintext backup (as an alternative to encrypted backup) still possible?** I would be happy to help write up documentation about this, but I'm unsure from the current documentation how this works.\r\n\r\n### Steps to reproduce\r\n- Create an encrypted backup using `Settings -> Chats and media -> Chat backups`\r\n- Transfer the encrypted backup from (for example) `/sdcard/Signal/Backups/` to a desktop computer.\r\n- Run `head /path/to/that/file.backup`\r\n\r\n**Actual result:** The file shows as encrypted (as is expected), but there is no documentation on how to do anything with the file outside of Signal itself.\r\n**Expected result:** Documentation would describe a terminal command that can be used to decrypt the file, or Signal would retain an \"Export Plaintext Backup\" button that users could use in addition to the new encrypted \"Chat backups\" option.\r\n\r\n### Device info\r\n<!-- replace the examples with your info -->\r\n**Device:** Galaxy S8 (Samsung SM G950U)\r\n**Android version:** 8.0.0\r\n**Signal version:** 4.17.5\r\n\r\nThank you for your work on this project!\r\n\r\n"},"comment":{"url":"https://api.github.com/repos/signalapp/Signal-Android/issues/comments/377569375","html_url":"https://github.com/signalapp/Signal-Android/issues/7586#issuecomment-377569375","issue_url":"https://api.github.com/repos/signalapp/Signal-Android/issues/7586","id":377569375,"user":{"login":"publicus","id":3667562,"avatar_url":"https://avatars0.githubusercontent.com/u/3667562?v=4","gravatar_id":"","url":"https://api.github.com/users/publicus","html_url":"https://github.com/publicus","followers_url":"https://api.github.com/users/publicus/followers","following_url":"https://api.github.com/users/publicus/following{/other_user}","gists_url":"https://api.github.com/users/publicus/gists{/gist_id}","starred_url":"https://api.github.com/users/publicus/starred{/owner}{/repo}","subscriptions_url":"https://api.github.com/users/publicus/subscriptions","organizations_url":"https://api.github.com/users/publicus/orgs","repos_url":"https://api.github.com/users/publicus/repos","events_url":"https://api.github.com/users/publicus/events{/privacy}","received_events_url":"https://api.github.com/users/publicus/received_events","type":"User","site_admin":false},"created_at":"2018-03-30T16:55:35Z","updated_at":"2018-03-30T16:55:35Z","author_association":"NONE","body":"Thank you both for your replies!\r\n\r\n@moxie0 Just to confirm, is there any interest / willingness to reintroduce the plaintext backup feature, in addition to the new encrypted chats?"}}
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