this post was submitted on 05 Mar 2025
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Privacy

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[–] [email protected] 8 points 1 day ago (22 children)

I would have rather seen Element but hey, it's a step in the right direction.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 day ago (1 children)
[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Nice! Never heard of that one, I'll look that up!

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 day ago

It's got matrix multi-account support and looks really nice.

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[–] [email protected] 35 points 1 day ago (1 children)

My dad just said in the WhatsApp group, why not move to signal. I tried moving friends and family before, but now that there has been anti meta media reports in some news sources. But especially reports on signal in almost every major newspaper and news source.

It seems not only a push because of privacy, but even more a anti big tech(especially us tech) and buy/use eu stuff push.

I don't mind the push I'm just curious if people stay on signal. Previous time there was a push to signal (during whatsapp technical difficulties and privacy push) people quickly want back to whatsapp.

Now my volunteer work, 1 friend and a family chat already moved to signal. The only thing I did was some explaining that you can just send images and so on. (That it's not something scary)

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 day ago (3 children)

What are the major differences between what you can do on Whatsapp vs Signal?

[–] [email protected] 30 points 1 day ago (7 children)

Whatsapp let's you donate your contact list and social network to meta for them to resell.

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[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 day ago

The only real differences we can think of is:

Whatsapp unlike Signal doesn't have usernames meaning a phone number must be used to contact others on it, and that Whatsapp's report feature shares the unencrypted message and surrounding messages with Meta to give context for the report.

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[–] [email protected] 60 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (1 children)

Let's hope they'll be able to continue to use it. It (and all other messengers with proper E2EE) is already on track to be outlawed in Sweden and France, and the new government in Germany will be pro mass-surveillance, too.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (4 children)

Moral of the story? Use ~~selfhostable~~ decentralized messaging instead.

[–] brrt 51 points 1 day ago (3 children)

Milk is getting more expensive. Moral of the story: Buy a cow.

I really wish people would stop being so delusional about the average person’s technological abilities. jUsT TeLL grAn To sPin Up a mATrIx SErvEr.. stfu

[–] [email protected] 11 points 1 day ago (8 children)

"Everyone should be hosting a server" was NOT my point, sorry if I got misunderstood. My mother could in no way host an XMPP server on her own - but I could register her an account on mine.

Rather, I meant: a) if you can host it, suggest your friends and family to use your server; b) if you can't - that is still better: with multiple public servers available, there is no single point of failure, you can choose a server in whatever jurisdiction you want, or even an onion/i2p one.

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[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

We have never come across one that is as easy to use as Signal and has no problems with encryption, either that it can have its encryption turned off, it breaks easily or that it makes dubious claims with few-no audits to back them up.

Plus the common person enjoys the fun features of Signal or other easy messengers, most decentralised messages do not have these features, are indefinitely working on them or make them not as easy to use, leading to most being uninterested in those messengers.

We have tried most if not all of them, than most and they are definitely lacking as much as we wish they were not. Decentralised encrypted (or partially encrypted) messengers always seem to have problems whether it's with their encryption, moderation tools, connectivity or the lack of other features.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 day ago (5 children)

No way in hell my relatives are going to use a messenger I selfhosted. My brother doesn't even use Signal for whatever reason, even though even my grandmother has it.

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[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 day ago (1 children)

true but this is not yet easy enough for normal humans. selfhosting anything is not yet easy enough

[–] [email protected] 10 points 1 day ago (1 children)

And is potentially even less secure if someone who has no idea about managing a server at all tries to spin up an online service.

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[–] [email protected] 2 points 22 hours ago (4 children)

I use Telegram, like betamax have I backed the wrong horse?

[–] [email protected] -1 points 16 hours ago (8 children)

Nah we good bro (I have zero objective data to back this up but I want to think it's true because I'd be too lazy to move)

[–] [email protected] 1 points 15 hours ago* (last edited 15 hours ago)

Nah ur (not) that good bro

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