I think I should a little explain to everyone why I see this as an issue. Imagine a program like SORM. Imagine a user that lives in a contry that operates it. Let’s assume once user used just Windows on his personal computer, but one day became a day when user needed anonimity from his repressive government. He installed Qubes with Whonix in it on that personal PC. To perform anonimous activity (let’s say for posts in Telegram). The two things that user didn’t know:
- With default settings Qubes and Whonix reveal their presence on PC through originating traffic.
- When the user used Windows it revealed to ISP (through update requests and up/incoming update traffic, or through visiting http sites, whatever) that his PC has a specific processor model.
So what we have? - When user posted his stuff on Telegram, the app got his fingerprint. Among all fake info there was real processor model (since it can’t be hidden) and the name of the OS (because of the same reason). First, “evil government” asked the fingerprint at Telegram. Since it most likely co-operates with Russian goverment - they gave it. Now it knows that user used Qubes with Whonix and had such processor. What can they do next? - Since SORM stores users’ traffic and can operate with it, they can search for specific patterns in these recordings, such as Qubes usage + traces of presence of some specific processor. Since our user used Qubes on the same computer that he used with Windows that revealed processor info, they now have matching of all these two patterns - Qubes and specific processor. We all know that not so many people around the world using Qubes. Even lesser in Russia, even lesser in Russia with some specific processor. Further only the work of technology to perform further surveillance to make conclusion that this is the guy they need.
P.S. Of course I’m not specialist and all this based on the assumption that Windows can reveal in its traffic processor model. But the other things with a probability of 99 percent are facts. SORM exists, it records and collects user traffic and it can be analyzed and structured later. Telegram most likely co-operates with Russian government and so on, you know.