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  3. Best privacy chat apps

Best privacy chat apps

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  • ? Offline
    ? Offline
    A Former User
    wrote on last edited by
    #94

    I've had to ditch Signal. It has been a nightmare to use. Notifications on Android and iOS are both spotty. My mom had missed calls several times because it just never rung for her (I verified this). Also for video calls it occasionally decides speakerphone is not needed, and won't work.

    0/10 somehow Element + Matrix is more usable.

    robiR 1 Reply Last reply
    1
    • ? A Former User

      I've had to ditch Signal. It has been a nightmare to use. Notifications on Android and iOS are both spotty. My mom had missed calls several times because it just never rung for her (I verified this). Also for video calls it occasionally decides speakerphone is not needed, and won't work.

      0/10 somehow Element + Matrix is more usable.

      robiR Offline
      robiR Offline
      robi
      wrote on last edited by
      #95

      The frequent disconnections from Telegram and Signal are problematic.

      It's like someone is deliberately disconnecting all sessions they can't intercept. Making it a lot less reliable.

      Sometimes video calls are better, and you can always stop video sharing, keeping the voice channel open.

      Same with GVoice calls, frequent drops, despite good networking on both sides.

      One of the better things for longer lasting voice comms is Team Speak. But the lack of availability of free clients on mobile puts that in the 'only at home' category.

      Conscious tech

      rmdesR 1 Reply Last reply
      0
      • robiR robi

        The frequent disconnections from Telegram and Signal are problematic.

        It's like someone is deliberately disconnecting all sessions they can't intercept. Making it a lot less reliable.

        Sometimes video calls are better, and you can always stop video sharing, keeping the voice channel open.

        Same with GVoice calls, frequent drops, despite good networking on both sides.

        One of the better things for longer lasting voice comms is Team Speak. But the lack of availability of free clients on mobile puts that in the 'only at home' category.

        rmdesR Offline
        rmdesR Offline
        rmdes
        wrote on last edited by
        #96

        I'v been testing https://cwtch.im/ it's quite interesting, since you can host the server home
        and join other chats/servers or one-to-one over tor

        marcusquinnM robiR 2 Replies Last reply
        3
        • rmdesR rmdes

          I'v been testing https://cwtch.im/ it's quite interesting, since you can host the server home
          and join other chats/servers or one-to-one over tor

          marcusquinnM Offline
          marcusquinnM Offline
          marcusquinn
          wrote on last edited by
          #97

          @rmdes Nice! Looks like the list here has been updated since I last posted it:

          • https://www.privacytools.io/#messaging

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

          1 Reply Last reply
          1
          • rmdesR rmdes

            I'v been testing https://cwtch.im/ it's quite interesting, since you can host the server home
            and join other chats/servers or one-to-one over tor

            robiR Offline
            robiR Offline
            robi
            wrote on last edited by
            #98

            @rmdes sounds like a good app request?

            Conscious tech

            1 Reply Last reply
            0
            • 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?

              L Offline
              L Offline
              LoudLemur
              wrote on last edited by
              #99

              @marcusquinn

              Session
              https://getsession.org
              Session will soon support video over Lokinet.

              Berty
              https://berty.tech/
              Berty is based on IPFS (Inter Planetary File System), and near release. Keep an eye on it.

              Cwtch
              https://cwtch.im/

              marcusquinnM 1 Reply Last reply
              2
              • L LoudLemur

                @marcusquinn

                Session
                https://getsession.org
                Session will soon support video over Lokinet.

                Berty
                https://berty.tech/
                Berty is based on IPFS (Inter Planetary File System), and near release. Keep an eye on it.

                Cwtch
                https://cwtch.im/

                marcusquinnM Offline
                marcusquinnM Offline
                marcusquinn
                wrote on last edited by
                #100

                @LoudLemur Thanks. Session I like, worth a follow: twitter.com/session_app Anyone can DM me for an ID to connect if you want to test anything.

                Video calls will be the game-changer for that, at least if they can have a comparable quality to FaceTime/Zoom, which are currently the best-of-(non-open-source)-breed in my experience.

                Berty & Cwtch I need to try, both also sounds very cool.

                The original point of this post being "Off-topic", was for non self-hosted, or not being dependent on self-hosting. The kinda thing you could give your folks to use and they'd have a low friction experience, and it would work well enough for them to also like and recommend to friends once they were also onboard. (something I still even struggle to convince people that really ought to trust me on, because lazyness & what's the point inertia is a very real thing targeted by the spyware that has become ubiquitous with "social media" and "big tech".

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

                1 Reply Last reply
                2
                • marcusquinnM Offline
                  marcusquinnM Offline
                  marcusquinn
                  wrote on last edited by
                  #101

                  Have created a "Cloudron" Group in Session, for both testing, and off-the-record chat (well, as much as all other members have a record). DM me for my Session ID. It's probably safe to post publicly, but no hurry to find out otherwise from haste πŸ™‚

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

                  L 1 Reply Last reply
                  3
                  • marcusquinnM Offline
                    marcusquinnM Offline
                    marcusquinn
                    wrote on last edited by marcusquinn
                    #102

                    Anyone tried this "Status" app to the above aims? Looks intriguing at least:

                    • https://status.im/
                    • https://status.im/get/
                    • https://cryptonews.com/coins/status/
                    • https://apps.apple.com/us/app/status-private-communication/id1178893006
                    • https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=im.status.ethereum

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

                    jdaviescoatesJ 1 Reply Last reply
                    0
                    • marcusquinnM marcusquinn

                      Anyone tried this "Status" app to the above aims? Looks intriguing at least:

                      • https://status.im/
                      • https://status.im/get/
                      • https://cryptonews.com/coins/status/
                      • https://apps.apple.com/us/app/status-private-communication/id1178893006
                      • https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=im.status.ethereum
                      jdaviescoatesJ Offline
                      jdaviescoatesJ Offline
                      jdaviescoates
                      wrote on last edited by
                      #103

                      @marcusquinn while there are few good interesting ideas floating around in the web 3 space, and loads of money sloshing around to help experiment with such ideas, personally I find it mostly to be a big turn off for being a slow, expensive, and environmental nightmare. πŸ™‚

                      I use Cloudron with Gandi & Hetzner

                      marcusquinnM 1 Reply Last reply
                      0
                      • ? Offline
                        ? Offline
                        A Former User
                        wrote on last edited by
                        #104

                        Oh gosh they incorporate β€œweb3” 😞

                        1 Reply Last reply
                        1
                        • jdaviescoatesJ jdaviescoates

                          @marcusquinn while there are few good interesting ideas floating around in the web 3 space, and loads of money sloshing around to help experiment with such ideas, personally I find it mostly to be a big turn off for being a slow, expensive, and environmental nightmare. πŸ™‚

                          marcusquinnM Offline
                          marcusquinnM Offline
                          marcusquinn
                          wrote on last edited by
                          #105

                          @jdaviescoates Wait until you see how much energy humans consume to do the things the miners are replacing 😬

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

                          jdaviescoatesJ 1 Reply Last reply
                          0
                          • marcusquinnM marcusquinn

                            @jdaviescoates Wait until you see how much energy humans consume to do the things the miners are replacing 😬

                            jdaviescoatesJ Offline
                            jdaviescoatesJ Offline
                            jdaviescoates
                            wrote on last edited by
                            #106

                            @marcusquinn like what? What are they/ have they replaced. Nothing as far as I'm aware.

                            A single Bitcoin transaction uses more energy than an average U.S. household uses in 2 months!

                            I mean, perhaps you're referring to how much banks still invest in fossil fuels? But if you think web3 is going to replace banks any time soon you are wrong πŸ™‚

                            A 10-year old iPhone could process more transactions per second than the entirety of the Bitcoin network it's so insanely slow.

                            I use Cloudron with Gandi & Hetzner

                            marcusquinnM L scookeS 3 Replies Last reply
                            0
                            • jdaviescoatesJ jdaviescoates

                              @marcusquinn like what? What are they/ have they replaced. Nothing as far as I'm aware.

                              A single Bitcoin transaction uses more energy than an average U.S. household uses in 2 months!

                              I mean, perhaps you're referring to how much banks still invest in fossil fuels? But if you think web3 is going to replace banks any time soon you are wrong πŸ™‚

                              A 10-year old iPhone could process more transactions per second than the entirety of the Bitcoin network it's so insanely slow.

                              marcusquinnM Offline
                              marcusquinnM Offline
                              marcusquinn
                              wrote on last edited by
                              #107

                              @jdaviescoates Think that's one for the rest of the internet to debate. Personally, I see the incentives for more progress in energy production, efficiency, distribution and security as a good thing.

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

                              jdaviescoatesJ 1 Reply Last reply
                              0
                              • marcusquinnM marcusquinn

                                @jdaviescoates Think that's one for the rest of the internet to debate. Personally, I see the incentives for more progress in energy production, efficiency, distribution and security as a good thing.

                                jdaviescoatesJ Offline
                                jdaviescoatesJ Offline
                                jdaviescoates
                                wrote on last edited by
                                #108

                                @marcusquinn said in Best privacy chat apps:

                                I see the incentives for more progress in energy production, efficiency, distribution and security as a good thing.

                                OK, but Web 3 does that how?

                                It's really not very distributed at all and pretty much the whole ecosystem relies on a tiny handful of privately owned and controled entities, just like Web 2

                                See eg this nice critique by Signal's creator:

                                https://moxie.org/2022/01/07/web3-first-impressions.html

                                Also, what are these high energy "things the miners are replacing"?

                                I use Cloudron with Gandi & Hetzner

                                marcusquinnM 1 Reply Last reply
                                2
                                • jdaviescoatesJ jdaviescoates

                                  @marcusquinn said in Best privacy chat apps:

                                  I see the incentives for more progress in energy production, efficiency, distribution and security as a good thing.

                                  OK, but Web 3 does that how?

                                  It's really not very distributed at all and pretty much the whole ecosystem relies on a tiny handful of privately owned and controled entities, just like Web 2

                                  See eg this nice critique by Signal's creator:

                                  https://moxie.org/2022/01/07/web3-first-impressions.html

                                  Also, what are these high energy "things the miners are replacing"?

                                  marcusquinnM Offline
                                  marcusquinnM Offline
                                  marcusquinn
                                  wrote on last edited by
                                  #109

                                  Also, what are these high energy "things the miners are replacing"?

                                  Bankers.

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

                                  jdaviescoatesJ 1 Reply Last reply
                                  1
                                  • marcusquinnM marcusquinn

                                    Also, what are these high energy "things the miners are replacing"?

                                    Bankers.

                                    jdaviescoatesJ Offline
                                    jdaviescoatesJ Offline
                                    jdaviescoates
                                    wrote on last edited by jdaviescoates
                                    #110

                                    @marcusquinn said in Best privacy chat apps:

                                    Bankers

                                    Yeah. Thankfully, whilst most banks are still investing in climate catastrophe, not all are.

                                    I do personal banking with Nationwide and business banking with Starling, neither of which invest in any fossil fuel companies nor projects.

                                    https://bank.green is a useful website for checking how much your bank has invested in fossil fuels since the Paris Agreement.

                                    The worst offender in UK/ Europe are Barclay's

                                    See also:

                                    The Banking on Climate Chaos report:
                                    https://www.ran.org/publications/banking-on-climate-chaos-2022/

                                    Recent issue of Ethical Consumer magazine on banking:
                                    https://www.ethicalconsumer.org/sites/default/files/flipbook/Issue186/

                                    I'd suggest moving money to more ethical banks (and pensions if you have one, see eg https://makemymoneymatter.co.uk/ ) is a far more effective action than using all the insanely wasteful web3 stuff πŸ™‚

                                    Probably also worth mentioning:
                                    https://www.ethex.org.uk/
                                    https://www.abundanceinvestment.com/
                                    https://www.wearemoneymovers.com/

                                    Happy ethical banking everyone!

                                    I use Cloudron with Gandi & Hetzner

                                    marcusquinnM 1 Reply Last reply
                                    2
                                    • jdaviescoatesJ jdaviescoates

                                      @marcusquinn said in Best privacy chat apps:

                                      Bankers

                                      Yeah. Thankfully, whilst most banks are still investing in climate catastrophe, not all are.

                                      I do personal banking with Nationwide and business banking with Starling, neither of which invest in any fossil fuel companies nor projects.

                                      https://bank.green is a useful website for checking how much your bank has invested in fossil fuels since the Paris Agreement.

                                      The worst offender in UK/ Europe are Barclay's

                                      See also:

                                      The Banking on Climate Chaos report:
                                      https://www.ran.org/publications/banking-on-climate-chaos-2022/

                                      Recent issue of Ethical Consumer magazine on banking:
                                      https://www.ethicalconsumer.org/sites/default/files/flipbook/Issue186/

                                      I'd suggest moving money to more ethical banks (and pensions if you have one, see eg https://makemymoneymatter.co.uk/ ) is a far more effective action than using all the insanely wasteful web3 stuff πŸ™‚

                                      Probably also worth mentioning:
                                      https://www.ethex.org.uk/
                                      https://www.abundanceinvestment.com/
                                      https://www.wearemoneymovers.com/

                                      Happy ethical banking everyone!

                                      marcusquinnM Offline
                                      marcusquinnM Offline
                                      marcusquinn
                                      wrote on last edited by
                                      #111

                                      @jdaviescoates This we agree on.

                                      I wouldn't worry about the "energy costs" of PoW blockchains, a large amount of the excess heat can be reclaimed and re-used, and it is motivating and diverting more funds to renewable energy investment, because ultimately, cleaner energy is also cheaper energy for all.

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

                                      necrevistonnezrN 1 Reply Last reply
                                      0
                                      • marcusquinnM marcusquinn

                                        @jdaviescoates This we agree on.

                                        I wouldn't worry about the "energy costs" of PoW blockchains, a large amount of the excess heat can be reclaimed and re-used, and it is motivating and diverting more funds to renewable energy investment, because ultimately, cleaner energy is also cheaper energy for all.

                                        necrevistonnezrN Offline
                                        necrevistonnezrN Offline
                                        necrevistonnezr
                                        wrote on last edited by
                                        #112

                                        @marcusquinn I highly doubt that the average miner running 100 AMD cards re-uses any of the excessive heat.

                                        Itβ€˜s just a stupid system under which numbers are crunched that don’t need crunching and which gave rise to money laundering and cybercrime at an unprecedented level. There’s not one ransomware attack without cryptocurrency involved.

                                        I don’t know why less oversight in finance matters would benefit anyone. And is there one aspect of cryptocurrency that has benefited society as a whole?

                                        marcusquinnM 1 Reply Last reply
                                        1
                                        • ? Offline
                                          ? Offline
                                          A Former User
                                          wrote on last edited by
                                          #113

                                          This is off topic...

                                          But I will say that crypto tends to be defended by those who make abnormal amounts of money off of it. Also miners can have a special corner of hell for the GPU shortage. Web3 is not needed. Its just a way to ram "bLoCkChAiN" into everything. Decentralization does not and will never need blockchain. Source: activitypub.

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