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  3. Best privacy chat apps

Best privacy chat apps

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  • 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
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    • 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.

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      • 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 ๐Ÿ˜›

        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 ๐Ÿ˜›

          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 ๐Ÿ™‚

            1 Reply Last reply
            0
            • jdaviescoatesJ Offline
              jdaviescoatesJ Offline
              jdaviescoates
              wrote on last edited by
              #50

              I came across a couple of nice chat comparisons recently.

              First of all there is this nice infographic by niboe.info

              compare_chat.png

              Sadly I've been unable to find an English version of the other nice infographic in this accompanying article of theirs in Spanish.

              I also came across this handy table from DivestOS (a privacy focused Android distribution):

              https://divestos.org/index.php?page=messengers

              Both of these make we wish Cloudron had an XMPP server like ejabberd so we could get our friends to try out Conversations and Movim (I mean, both Yunohost and HomeLabsOS have an XMPP server, and they are both fully open source and run by volunteers - whereas Cloudron is the one with a business model and full time paid @staff - and yet they've got XMPP and we don't! ๐Ÿ˜› )

              I use Cloudron with Gandi & Hetzner

              JOduMonTJ robiR 2 Replies Last reply
              4
              • jdaviescoatesJ jdaviescoates

                I came across a couple of nice chat comparisons recently.

                First of all there is this nice infographic by niboe.info

                compare_chat.png

                Sadly I've been unable to find an English version of the other nice infographic in this accompanying article of theirs in Spanish.

                I also came across this handy table from DivestOS (a privacy focused Android distribution):

                https://divestos.org/index.php?page=messengers

                Both of these make we wish Cloudron had an XMPP server like ejabberd so we could get our friends to try out Conversations and Movim (I mean, both Yunohost and HomeLabsOS have an XMPP server, and they are both fully open source and run by volunteers - whereas Cloudron is the one with a business model and full time paid @staff - and yet they've got XMPP and we don't! ๐Ÿ˜› )

                JOduMonTJ Offline
                JOduMonTJ Offline
                JOduMonT
                wrote on last edited by
                #51

                maybe me, but personally I make a difference when you are able to generate or add your own key to encrypt versus the "platform" provide you the public and private key

                mehdiM 1 Reply Last reply
                0
                • JOduMonTJ JOduMonT

                  maybe me, but personally I make a difference when you are able to generate or add your own key to encrypt versus the "platform" provide you the public and private key

                  mehdiM Offline
                  mehdiM Offline
                  mehdi
                  App Dev
                  wrote on last edited by
                  #52

                  @jodumont The key is always generated on your own device. There is zero reason to allow users to import an external key. If you don't trust the local app to correctly generate a keypair, you have no reason to trust it to correctly perform the encryption. So importing a key brings nothing.

                  1 Reply Last reply
                  0
                  • jdaviescoatesJ jdaviescoates

                    I came across a couple of nice chat comparisons recently.

                    First of all there is this nice infographic by niboe.info

                    compare_chat.png

                    Sadly I've been unable to find an English version of the other nice infographic in this accompanying article of theirs in Spanish.

                    I also came across this handy table from DivestOS (a privacy focused Android distribution):

                    https://divestos.org/index.php?page=messengers

                    Both of these make we wish Cloudron had an XMPP server like ejabberd so we could get our friends to try out Conversations and Movim (I mean, both Yunohost and HomeLabsOS have an XMPP server, and they are both fully open source and run by volunteers - whereas Cloudron is the one with a business model and full time paid @staff - and yet they've got XMPP and we don't! ๐Ÿ˜› )

                    robiR Offline
                    robiR Offline
                    robi
                    wrote on last edited by
                    #53

                    @jdaviescoates time to host an event, start packaging and get help finishing it! ๐Ÿ™‚

                    Conscious tech

                    jdaviescoatesJ 1 Reply Last reply
                    1
                    • robiR robi

                      @jdaviescoates time to host an event, start packaging and get help finishing it! ๐Ÿ™‚

                      jdaviescoatesJ Offline
                      jdaviescoatesJ Offline
                      jdaviescoates
                      wrote on last edited by jdaviescoates
                      #54

                      @robi I've often thought of learning to code. I loved maths as a kid. But now isn't the time. ๐Ÿ™‚

                      I use Cloudron with Gandi & Hetzner

                      robiR 1 Reply Last reply
                      0
                      • jdaviescoatesJ jdaviescoates

                        @robi I've often thought of learning to code. I loved maths as a kid. But now isn't the time. ๐Ÿ™‚

                        robiR Offline
                        robiR Offline
                        robi
                        wrote on last edited by
                        #55

                        @jdaviescoates there's no real coding involved.. it's mostly stitching things together and adjusting configs. You'll have help too.

                        Conscious tech

                        1 Reply Last reply
                        1
                        • marcusquinnM Offline
                          marcusquinnM Offline
                          marcusquinn
                          wrote on last edited by
                          #56

                          Looks like Signal App's addition of payments using MobileCoin ($MOB) has struck a raw nerve with many.

                          Another alternative that seems to come up regularly on the comments underneath their Tweets is this Session App:

                          • https://getsession.org

                          YMMV but another one for the list and your esteemed critique.

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

                          jdaviescoatesJ 1 Reply Last reply
                          2
                          • marcusquinnM marcusquinn

                            Looks like Signal App's addition of payments using MobileCoin ($MOB) has struck a raw nerve with many.

                            Another alternative that seems to come up regularly on the comments underneath their Tweets is this Session App:

                            • https://getsession.org

                            YMMV but another one for the list and your esteemed critique.

                            jdaviescoatesJ Offline
                            jdaviescoatesJ Offline
                            jdaviescoates
                            wrote on last edited by
                            #57

                            @marcusquinn see also Snikket which seems like a great option too (and gets my vote for the XMPP that ought to be first added to Cloudron).

                            I use Cloudron with Gandi & Hetzner

                            1 Reply Last reply
                            1
                            • ? Offline
                              ? Offline
                              A Former User
                              wrote on last edited by A Former User
                              #58

                              I'd still take Matrix over all of those for its decentralized and federated nature. It is incredibly secure and their Element client has truly come a long way. I would love to see Snikket and Oragono though. I tried packaging Oragono but lost the motivation part way through as I usually do.

                              But my vote for matrix comes in here: Me and a friend could both have our own homeservers and still chat in a secure manner. If we're talking privacy, I'd say its at the top for sure.

                              jdaviescoatesJ 1 Reply Last reply
                              5
                              • ? A Former User

                                I'd still take Matrix over all of those for its decentralized and federated nature. It is incredibly secure and their Element client has truly come a long way. I would love to see Snikket and Oragono though. I tried packaging Oragono but lost the motivation part way through as I usually do.

                                But my vote for matrix comes in here: Me and a friend could both have our own homeservers and still chat in a secure manner. If we're talking privacy, I'd say its at the top for sure.

                                jdaviescoatesJ Offline
                                jdaviescoatesJ Offline
                                jdaviescoates
                                wrote on last edited by
                                #59

                                @atrilahiji true, although I find Matrix to still be somewhat of a UX nightmare. It's often very confusing, even for geeky people.

                                I use Cloudron with Gandi & Hetzner

                                ? 1 Reply Last reply
                                0
                                • jdaviescoatesJ jdaviescoates

                                  @atrilahiji true, although I find Matrix to still be somewhat of a UX nightmare. It's often very confusing, even for geeky people.

                                  ? Offline
                                  ? Offline
                                  A Former User
                                  wrote on last edited by
                                  #60

                                  @jdaviescoates I mean, I wouldn't say I'm an expert in UX so I can't speak to that but I can say that for me I found it fairly intuitive. I know that this may not be everyone's experience though.

                                  I also am wary of UX issues or incredibly pretty apps sometimes because I find that a lot of apps seem to go 110% in on beautiful and intuitive UI while compromising on core functionality.

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                                  • marcusquinnM Offline
                                    marcusquinnM Offline
                                    marcusquinn
                                    wrote on last edited by marcusquinn
                                    #61

                                    I think any app requiring a central server will remain niche.

                                    Signal took a long time to persuade people to switch with very low signup friction.

                                    User experience is as fundamental to security as shoes are on gravel.

                                    If the experience doesnโ€™t factor-in user onboarding time & friction, then it becomes a security issue in itself, by discouraging critical-mass adoption to be more useful than the ad-tech alternatives.

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

                                    ? 1 Reply Last reply
                                    0
                                    • marcusquinnM marcusquinn

                                      I think any app requiring a central server will remain niche.

                                      Signal took a long time to persuade people to switch with very low signup friction.

                                      User experience is as fundamental to security as shoes are on gravel.

                                      If the experience doesnโ€™t factor-in user onboarding time & friction, then it becomes a security issue in itself, by discouraging critical-mass adoption to be more useful than the ad-tech alternatives.

                                      ? Offline
                                      ? Offline
                                      A Former User
                                      wrote on last edited by A Former User
                                      #62

                                      @marcusquinn said in Best privacy chat apps:

                                      I think any app requiring a central server will remain niche.

                                      Did you mean apps not requiring a central server? Looking at the current abysmal state of the internet, apps requiring central servers dominate.

                                      Signal took a long time to persuade people to switch with very low signup friction.

                                      User experience is as fundamental to security as shoes are on gravel.

                                      If the experience doesnโ€™t factor in user onboard IG time and friction, the it becomes a security issue in discouraging critical mass adoption to be more useful than the ad-tech alternatives.

                                      I think this is a good ol' agree to disagree situation. I'm of the opinion that if someone needs to be coerced into caring about security they may as well stick with selling their soul to Sundar Pichai and Zucc. As far as I'm concerned the best privacy chat app is the one that best protects privacy. Simple as that.

                                      marcusquinnM 2 Replies Last reply
                                      2
                                      • ? A Former User

                                        @marcusquinn said in Best privacy chat apps:

                                        I think any app requiring a central server will remain niche.

                                        Did you mean apps not requiring a central server? Looking at the current abysmal state of the internet, apps requiring central servers dominate.

                                        Signal took a long time to persuade people to switch with very low signup friction.

                                        User experience is as fundamental to security as shoes are on gravel.

                                        If the experience doesnโ€™t factor in user onboard IG time and friction, the it becomes a security issue in discouraging critical mass adoption to be more useful than the ad-tech alternatives.

                                        I think this is a good ol' agree to disagree situation. I'm of the opinion that if someone needs to be coerced into caring about security they may as well stick with selling their soul to Sundar Pichai and Zucc. As far as I'm concerned the best privacy chat app is the one that best protects privacy. Simple as that.

                                        marcusquinnM Offline
                                        marcusquinnM Offline
                                        marcusquinn
                                        wrote on last edited by
                                        #63

                                        @atrilahiji The family reeeeeeallly resisted the push to Signal for months, these are people that care, and I care about, but the "why should I?" brainwashing runs deeper than personal and relationships nowadays.

                                        That's the power of user experience and trust in exchanging effort for that.

                                        For business and professionals, sure, we have some influence, but for personal, I'm afraid the user statistics speak for themselves.

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

                                        ? 1 Reply Last reply
                                        0
                                        • ? A Former User

                                          @marcusquinn said in Best privacy chat apps:

                                          I think any app requiring a central server will remain niche.

                                          Did you mean apps not requiring a central server? Looking at the current abysmal state of the internet, apps requiring central servers dominate.

                                          Signal took a long time to persuade people to switch with very low signup friction.

                                          User experience is as fundamental to security as shoes are on gravel.

                                          If the experience doesnโ€™t factor in user onboard IG time and friction, the it becomes a security issue in discouraging critical mass adoption to be more useful than the ad-tech alternatives.

                                          I think this is a good ol' agree to disagree situation. I'm of the opinion that if someone needs to be coerced into caring about security they may as well stick with selling their soul to Sundar Pichai and Zucc. As far as I'm concerned the best privacy chat app is the one that best protects privacy. Simple as that.

                                          marcusquinnM Offline
                                          marcusquinnM Offline
                                          marcusquinn
                                          wrote on last edited by marcusquinn
                                          #64

                                          @atrilahiji Moral hypothetical; mental health is an issue, I think we can agree on that?

                                          How do we reconcile having capabilities to improve user experience and adoption, against having people we care about unnecessarily unhealthy in mind because they "sold their soul", or more likely it was bought and sold for them?

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

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