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Best privacy chat apps

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  • marcusquinnM Offline
    marcusquinnM Offline
    marcusquinn
    wrote on last edited by
    #30

    Wow - Elon Musk celebrated his newly found ranking with a nice kick in the Zuckerburgs!

    Follow my tweets on Signal here if you care: https://twitter.com/marcuswquinn

    Web Design https://www.evergreen.je
    Development https://brandlight.org
    Life https://marcusquinn.com

    1 Reply Last reply
    1
    • marcusquinnM Offline
      marcusquinnM Offline
      marcusquinn
      wrote on last edited by
      #31

      I reckon the fediverse is gonna get more interest following recent FB & Twitter self-determination as censors.

      Web Design https://www.evergreen.je
      Development https://brandlight.org
      Life https://marcusquinn.com

      necrevistonnezrN 1 Reply Last reply
      0
      • marcusquinnM marcusquinn

        I reckon the fediverse is gonna get more interest following recent FB & Twitter self-determination as censors.

        necrevistonnezrN Offline
        necrevistonnezrN Offline
        necrevistonnezr
        wrote on last edited by
        #32

        @marcusquinn said in Best privacy chat apps:

        following recent FB & Twitter self-determination as censors.

        ?
        They are private companies and under no obligation to uphold the First Amendment (US). They are protected by Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, which exempts them from being treated as publishers and both protects them from liability and allows them to regulate content as they see fit.

        We can certainly have a discussion if (i) these platforms have reached a monopoly - and hence have an undue influence on public speech - that needs regulation and / or (ii) they should indeed be treated like publishers or the press with all the freedoms and obligations - such as fact checking - attached to it.

        Don't get me wrong, I hate these platforms and what they stand for with a passion and am certain that we would all be better off if Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, etc. were turned off and deleted at once. Giving people and their opinions an unfettered platform has not improved the quality of opinion-forming and discussion but made it so much worse.

        In any event, the "freedom of speech" is not an absolute right, neither in the US nor in most countries in the Western hemisphere. Like most constitutional rights they are - as a general rule - limited by the rights of your fellow citizen.

        1 Reply Last reply
        2
        • robiR Offline
          robiR Offline
          robi
          wrote on last edited by
          #33

          Telegram seems to be upholding their censorship free platform so far..

          Conscious tech

          necrevistonnezrN 1 Reply Last reply
          0
          • robiR robi

            Telegram seems to be upholding their censorship free platform so far..

            necrevistonnezrN Offline
            necrevistonnezrN Offline
            necrevistonnezr
            wrote on last edited by necrevistonnezr
            #34

            @robi said in Best privacy chat apps:

            Telegram seems to be upholding their censorship free platform so far..

            ... and thus has attracted extremist, neo-nazis and covid deniers...

            marcusquinnM 1 Reply Last reply
            4
            • necrevistonnezrN necrevistonnezr

              @robi said in Best privacy chat apps:

              Telegram seems to be upholding their censorship free platform so far..

              ... and thus has attracted extremist, neo-nazis and covid deniers...

              marcusquinnM Offline
              marcusquinnM Offline
              marcusquinn
              wrote on last edited by
              #35

              @necrevistonnezr ... and thus law enforcement can learn, find and handle as-is their role.

              I don't fancy law enforcement that also has a stock ticker to please.

              Web Design https://www.evergreen.je
              Development https://brandlight.org
              Life https://marcusquinn.com

              1 Reply Last reply
              1
              • marcusquinnM marcusquinn

                Chatting with @humptydumpty about alternatives to Discord, so thought I'd share my conclusions:

                • Signal seems the easiest for people used to Whatsapp, Discord, Messenger, Whatever
                • Telegram seems good but Signal being open-source seems better.
                • Matrix / Element / Mattermost - too quirky and poor mobile experience.
                • Rocket.Chat the best of our current Cloudron options but higher RAM needs.
                • Jitsi & Jami look like the best of the App Wishlist alternatives.
                • Tox looks OKish for desktop but no mobile.

                Hope that helps some - anything better than the above I've missed?

                JOduMonTJ Offline
                JOduMonTJ Offline
                JOduMonT
                wrote on last edited by JOduMonT
                #36

                After watching a video of the

                I started (WIP) a comparative of Android Chat/Call Application, my focus was privacy and anonymity.

                • Potentially Dangerous Persmissions numbers comes from the project Exodus
                • Pii: means you need to use a Personal identifiable information such as a phone number and/or an email

                Proprietary Apps

                Apps Trackers Potentially Dangerous Permissions Require Pii Note
                Facebook Messenger 4 4 yes (email/phone number) It don't just use Facebook tracker, but also Google Analytics
                Line Lite 1 6 yes (phone number) Use Google Firebase Analytics
                Facebook Messenger Lite 1 7 yes (email/phone number) Use Google Analytics
                Google Duo 1 9 yes (email) Use Google Analytics
                Snapchat 3 10 Google AdMob
                WhatsApp 1 13 yes (phone number) Use Google Analytics and it is own by Facebook
                WeChat 5 13 Use Google Firebase Analytics, Facebook Analytics, Facebook Login and Facebook Share
                Skype 5 13 Use Google Firebase Analytics and Microsoft VS App Center Crashes, Microsoft VS App Center Analytics
                Line 4 14 yes (phone number) Use Google Analytics, Google AdMob, Facebook Login and Facebook Share
                Telegram 2 15 yes (phone number) Use Google Firebase Analytics and Microsoft VS App Center Crashes
                Skype Lite 4 16 Use Google Firebase Analytics and Microsoft VS App Center Crashes, Microsoft VS App Center Analytics
                Viber 10 16 yes (phone number) Use Google Firebase Analytics, Google AdMob, Google CrashLytics, Twitter MoPub and Yandex Ad
                Telegram X 3 17 yes (phone number) Use Google Firebase Analytics and Google AdMob

                Open Source Project to consider

                Apps Trackers Potentially Dangerous Permissions Require Pii Note
                Briar 0 2 no Probably the best one for pseudo-anonymity.
                Jitsi Meet 0 4 optional Great alternative to Zoom
                Nextcloud Talk 0 4 require login (username, email) + server side could be self-hosted
                Jami 0 5 optional
                Element 0 8 require login (username) + server side could be self-hosted
                Linphone 0 9 yes (phone number)
                Signal 0 19 yes (phone number)
                Mattermost 1 3 require login (username) + server side could be self-hosted + could be use as a gateway to others services.
                Wire 1 7 yes (email)

                At the end, the best is to host your own Nextcloud and convince your friend to come on your Nextcloud Talk 🙂

                mehdiM robiR 2 Replies Last reply
                7
                • marcusquinnM Offline
                  marcusquinnM Offline
                  marcusquinn
                  wrote on last edited by marcusquinn
                  #37

                  Someone just pinged me this link on Twitter, seems to be reasonable info:

                  • https://privacytools.io
                  • https://privacytools.io/software/real-time-communication

                  I saw someone saying the old "I have nothing to hide", although the obviously creep-ware that all these things do help hide is targeted advertising.

                  Who wants to be "targeted" and have others pay to directly target them with a calculation that makes it more probable to profit from that targeting?

                  Admittedly, I used to see this as legitimate business but the balance of cost and value to society doesn't seem to be in-line with efficiency and balance in relationships, so I'm personally backing away from all business that is dependent on paid advertising in preference for focusing on editorial value and self-challenging communities with a common interest in value over sales.

                  Web Design https://www.evergreen.je
                  Development https://brandlight.org
                  Life https://marcusquinn.com

                  robiR d19dotcaD 2 Replies Last reply
                  1
                  • JOduMonTJ JOduMonT

                    After watching a video of the

                    I started (WIP) a comparative of Android Chat/Call Application, my focus was privacy and anonymity.

                    • Potentially Dangerous Persmissions numbers comes from the project Exodus
                    • Pii: means you need to use a Personal identifiable information such as a phone number and/or an email

                    Proprietary Apps

                    Apps Trackers Potentially Dangerous Permissions Require Pii Note
                    Facebook Messenger 4 4 yes (email/phone number) It don't just use Facebook tracker, but also Google Analytics
                    Line Lite 1 6 yes (phone number) Use Google Firebase Analytics
                    Facebook Messenger Lite 1 7 yes (email/phone number) Use Google Analytics
                    Google Duo 1 9 yes (email) Use Google Analytics
                    Snapchat 3 10 Google AdMob
                    WhatsApp 1 13 yes (phone number) Use Google Analytics and it is own by Facebook
                    WeChat 5 13 Use Google Firebase Analytics, Facebook Analytics, Facebook Login and Facebook Share
                    Skype 5 13 Use Google Firebase Analytics and Microsoft VS App Center Crashes, Microsoft VS App Center Analytics
                    Line 4 14 yes (phone number) Use Google Analytics, Google AdMob, Facebook Login and Facebook Share
                    Telegram 2 15 yes (phone number) Use Google Firebase Analytics and Microsoft VS App Center Crashes
                    Skype Lite 4 16 Use Google Firebase Analytics and Microsoft VS App Center Crashes, Microsoft VS App Center Analytics
                    Viber 10 16 yes (phone number) Use Google Firebase Analytics, Google AdMob, Google CrashLytics, Twitter MoPub and Yandex Ad
                    Telegram X 3 17 yes (phone number) Use Google Firebase Analytics and Google AdMob

                    Open Source Project to consider

                    Apps Trackers Potentially Dangerous Permissions Require Pii Note
                    Briar 0 2 no Probably the best one for pseudo-anonymity.
                    Jitsi Meet 0 4 optional Great alternative to Zoom
                    Nextcloud Talk 0 4 require login (username, email) + server side could be self-hosted
                    Jami 0 5 optional
                    Element 0 8 require login (username) + server side could be self-hosted
                    Linphone 0 9 yes (phone number)
                    Signal 0 19 yes (phone number)
                    Mattermost 1 3 require login (username) + server side could be self-hosted + could be use as a gateway to others services.
                    Wire 1 7 yes (email)

                    At the end, the best is to host your own Nextcloud and convince your friend to come on your Nextcloud Talk 🙂

                    mehdiM Offline
                    mehdiM Offline
                    mehdi
                    App Dev
                    wrote on last edited by
                    #38

                    @jodumont you comparison does not take into account whether or not the messages are encrypted. I personally think it's the most important feature to take into account.

                    Also, take a look at Olvid. I don't use it personally, but I heard good things.

                    JOduMonTJ 2 Replies Last reply
                    2
                    • JOduMonTJ JOduMonT

                      After watching a video of the

                      I started (WIP) a comparative of Android Chat/Call Application, my focus was privacy and anonymity.

                      • Potentially Dangerous Persmissions numbers comes from the project Exodus
                      • Pii: means you need to use a Personal identifiable information such as a phone number and/or an email

                      Proprietary Apps

                      Apps Trackers Potentially Dangerous Permissions Require Pii Note
                      Facebook Messenger 4 4 yes (email/phone number) It don't just use Facebook tracker, but also Google Analytics
                      Line Lite 1 6 yes (phone number) Use Google Firebase Analytics
                      Facebook Messenger Lite 1 7 yes (email/phone number) Use Google Analytics
                      Google Duo 1 9 yes (email) Use Google Analytics
                      Snapchat 3 10 Google AdMob
                      WhatsApp 1 13 yes (phone number) Use Google Analytics and it is own by Facebook
                      WeChat 5 13 Use Google Firebase Analytics, Facebook Analytics, Facebook Login and Facebook Share
                      Skype 5 13 Use Google Firebase Analytics and Microsoft VS App Center Crashes, Microsoft VS App Center Analytics
                      Line 4 14 yes (phone number) Use Google Analytics, Google AdMob, Facebook Login and Facebook Share
                      Telegram 2 15 yes (phone number) Use Google Firebase Analytics and Microsoft VS App Center Crashes
                      Skype Lite 4 16 Use Google Firebase Analytics and Microsoft VS App Center Crashes, Microsoft VS App Center Analytics
                      Viber 10 16 yes (phone number) Use Google Firebase Analytics, Google AdMob, Google CrashLytics, Twitter MoPub and Yandex Ad
                      Telegram X 3 17 yes (phone number) Use Google Firebase Analytics and Google AdMob

                      Open Source Project to consider

                      Apps Trackers Potentially Dangerous Permissions Require Pii Note
                      Briar 0 2 no Probably the best one for pseudo-anonymity.
                      Jitsi Meet 0 4 optional Great alternative to Zoom
                      Nextcloud Talk 0 4 require login (username, email) + server side could be self-hosted
                      Jami 0 5 optional
                      Element 0 8 require login (username) + server side could be self-hosted
                      Linphone 0 9 yes (phone number)
                      Signal 0 19 yes (phone number)
                      Mattermost 1 3 require login (username) + server side could be self-hosted + could be use as a gateway to others services.
                      Wire 1 7 yes (email)

                      At the end, the best is to host your own Nextcloud and convince your friend to come on your Nextcloud Talk 🙂

                      robiR Offline
                      robiR Offline
                      robi
                      wrote on last edited by
                      #39

                      @jodumont thanks for the table!

                      for Mattermost, what is meant by 'gateway to other services' ? API integrations?

                      Conscious tech

                      JOduMonTJ 1 Reply Last reply
                      0
                      • marcusquinnM marcusquinn

                        Someone just pinged me this link on Twitter, seems to be reasonable info:

                        • https://privacytools.io
                        • https://privacytools.io/software/real-time-communication

                        I saw someone saying the old "I have nothing to hide", although the obviously creep-ware that all these things do help hide is targeted advertising.

                        Who wants to be "targeted" and have others pay to directly target them with a calculation that makes it more probable to profit from that targeting?

                        Admittedly, I used to see this as legitimate business but the balance of cost and value to society doesn't seem to be in-line with efficiency and balance in relationships, so I'm personally backing away from all business that is dependent on paid advertising in preference for focusing on editorial value and self-challenging communities with a common interest in value over sales.

                        robiR Offline
                        robiR Offline
                        robi
                        wrote on last edited by
                        #40

                        @marcusquinn said in Best privacy chat apps:

                        Admittedly, I used to see this as legitimate business but the balance of cost and value to society doesn't seem to be in-line with efficiency and balance in relationships, so I'm personally backing away from all business that is dependent on paid advertising in preference for focusing on editorial value and self-challenging communities with a common interest in value over sales.

                        In another project we've come up with a business model that preserves privacy yet allows for getting paid for receiving advertising that is relevant to ones interests, if so desired.

                        If everyone participated, it would be akin to a UBI with abundance.

                        Conscious tech

                        1 Reply Last reply
                        0
                        • marcusquinnM marcusquinn

                          Someone just pinged me this link on Twitter, seems to be reasonable info:

                          • https://privacytools.io
                          • https://privacytools.io/software/real-time-communication

                          I saw someone saying the old "I have nothing to hide", although the obviously creep-ware that all these things do help hide is targeted advertising.

                          Who wants to be "targeted" and have others pay to directly target them with a calculation that makes it more probable to profit from that targeting?

                          Admittedly, I used to see this as legitimate business but the balance of cost and value to society doesn't seem to be in-line with efficiency and balance in relationships, so I'm personally backing away from all business that is dependent on paid advertising in preference for focusing on editorial value and self-challenging communities with a common interest in value over sales.

                          d19dotcaD Offline
                          d19dotcaD Offline
                          d19dotca
                          wrote on last edited by
                          #41

                          @marcusquinn said in Best privacy chat apps:

                          Who wants to be "targeted" and have others pay to directly target them with a calculation that makes it more probable to profit from that targeting?

                          As must as I hate any kind of privacy-invading workflows, I must confess that (specifically) targeted advertising doesn't really bother me much at all. The fact is those ads are going to be present in that spot on a webpage regardless of whether it's targeted or not. So why not at least show me relevant ads based on search keywords in the tool being used?

                          To me, the only time I get creeped out and think they've crossed a line for me at least is when they start getting overly sensitive to the ads (such as Facebook) where you're not just being targeted based on a couple of data points and instead you're being targeted based on like a 100+ different data points on data they ideally shouldn't even really have in the first place.

                          I think it's all a balancing act. Everyone's comfort level is a little different. Just my opinion anyways. But I totally hear ya on the "I have nothing to hide" point, those statements always irritate me when I hear them from people, shows they're completely missing the point when they say that, IMO.

                          --
                          Dustin Dauncey
                          www.d19.ca

                          1 Reply Last reply
                          1
                          • mehdiM mehdi

                            @jodumont you comparison does not take into account whether or not the messages are encrypted. I personally think it's the most important feature to take into account.

                            Also, take a look at Olvid. I don't use it personally, but I heard good things.

                            JOduMonTJ Offline
                            JOduMonTJ Offline
                            JOduMonT
                            wrote on last edited by
                            #42

                            this table was for my own personal use

                            @mehdi said in Best privacy chat apps:

                            I personally think it's the most important feature to take into account.

                            this is true this feature should be considered,
                            but also who own the encryption key, the user or the provider ?

                            because most of these service yes you could encrypt a message but the provider (example Telegram) have the 2 keys so technically they could decrypt the message on the server side before forwarding it to the recipient.

                            Sometimes a function is just an umbrella to make a shadow theater where we are the puppet.

                            mehdiM 1 Reply Last reply
                            0
                            • robiR robi

                              @jodumont thanks for the table!

                              for Mattermost, what is meant by 'gateway to other services' ? API integrations?

                              JOduMonTJ Offline
                              JOduMonTJ Offline
                              JOduMonT
                              wrote on last edited by
                              #43

                              @robi said in Best privacy chat apps:

                              for Mattermost, what is meant by 'gateway to other services' ? API integrations?

                              Yes; but I'm not a Mattermost expert

                              1 Reply Last reply
                              0
                              • mehdiM mehdi

                                @jodumont you comparison does not take into account whether or not the messages are encrypted. I personally think it's the most important feature to take into account.

                                Also, take a look at Olvid. I don't use it personally, but I heard good things.

                                JOduMonTJ Offline
                                JOduMonTJ Offline
                                JOduMonT
                                wrote on last edited by JOduMonT
                                #44

                                @mehdi said in Best privacy chat apps:

                                Olvid

                                Olvid sound promessing, we cloud also talk about Threema which is more or less the same but developed in Switzerland. but at the end I took my list from AlternativeTo.net and took the top 10.

                                Beware most of VOIP use opportunistic encryption mainly because of issues with NAT so trusting a 3rd party for that is a big mistake for your privacy.

                                These days everything is secure like email aka the authentication use SSL than the message follow in clear text.

                                It would be interesting to find how/if Olvid encrypt their VOIP and which part ANSSI complement.
                                for now I only see the text message being encrypted.

                                mehdiM 1 Reply Last reply
                                0
                                • JOduMonTJ JOduMonT

                                  this table was for my own personal use

                                  @mehdi said in Best privacy chat apps:

                                  I personally think it's the most important feature to take into account.

                                  this is true this feature should be considered,
                                  but also who own the encryption key, the user or the provider ?

                                  because most of these service yes you could encrypt a message but the provider (example Telegram) have the 2 keys so technically they could decrypt the message on the server side before forwarding it to the recipient.

                                  Sometimes a function is just an umbrella to make a shadow theater where we are the puppet.

                                  mehdiM Offline
                                  mehdiM Offline
                                  mehdi
                                  App Dev
                                  wrote on last edited by mehdi
                                  #45

                                  @jodumont I am of course only talking about good end-to-end encryption, like Signal or WhatsApp (yeah, WhatsApp has many flaws, mainly their owner, but they do have good encryption).

                                  I don't know about Telegram's encryption, I never looked into it. I just know they don't use any by default (which, in itself, is bad)

                                  1 Reply Last reply
                                  0
                                  • JOduMonTJ JOduMonT

                                    @mehdi said in Best privacy chat apps:

                                    Olvid

                                    Olvid sound promessing, we cloud also talk about Threema which is more or less the same but developed in Switzerland. but at the end I took my list from AlternativeTo.net and took the top 10.

                                    Beware most of VOIP use opportunistic encryption mainly because of issues with NAT so trusting a 3rd party for that is a big mistake for your privacy.

                                    These days everything is secure like email aka the authentication use SSL than the message follow in clear text.

                                    It would be interesting to find how/if Olvid encrypt their VOIP and which part ANSSI complement.
                                    for now I only see the text message being encrypted.

                                    mehdiM Offline
                                    mehdiM Offline
                                    mehdi
                                    App Dev
                                    wrote on last edited by
                                    #46

                                    @jodumont about Olvid, from what I know, yes their calls are also encrypted, but they are only available for paid users.

                                    1 Reply Last reply
                                    0
                                    • JOduMonTJ Offline
                                      JOduMonTJ Offline
                                      JOduMonT
                                      wrote on last edited by JOduMonT
                                      #47

                                      @mehdi said in Best privacy chat apps:

                                      I don't know about Telegram's encryption, I never looked into it. I just know they don't use any by default (which, in itself, is bad)

                                      we probably don't talk about the same phase of encryption, you seams focusing on the message (which obviously it is important) and I'm talking about the transfer

                                      anyway good thing this forum is encrypted by a SSL 😛

                                      mehdiM 1 Reply Last reply
                                      0
                                      • JOduMonTJ JOduMonT

                                        @mehdi said in Best privacy chat apps:

                                        I don't know about Telegram's encryption, I never looked into it. I just know they don't use any by default (which, in itself, is bad)

                                        we probably don't talk about the same phase of encryption, you seams focusing on the message (which obviously it is important) and I'm talking about the transfer

                                        anyway good thing this forum is encrypted by a SSL 😛

                                        mehdiM Offline
                                        mehdiM Offline
                                        mehdi
                                        App Dev
                                        wrote on last edited by
                                        #48

                                        @jodumont This table seems to be either outdated severly, or just plain wrong. Whatsapp does use end-to-end encryption, and has been using it for years.

                                        JOduMonTJ 1 Reply Last reply
                                        2
                                        • mehdiM mehdi

                                          @jodumont This table seems to be either outdated severly, or just plain wrong. Whatsapp does use end-to-end encryption, and has been using it for years.

                                          JOduMonTJ Offline
                                          JOduMonTJ Offline
                                          JOduMonT
                                          wrote on last edited by
                                          #49

                                          @mehdi said in Best privacy chat apps:

                                          This table seems to be either outdated severly

                                          fair enough 🙂

                                          1 Reply Last reply
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