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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 A Former User
      #81

      Yeah... I'd never be inclined to believe that a chat application is secure unless they are willing to reveal all of the source code. I still use some, like discord for instance simply because I have friends I cannot get off of there. Element with their new Spaces feature has made it usable enough for me to recommend to anyone. Maybe I just don't see the issues because I am used to janky UIs? But I think it is very slick and easy to use at this point. But regardless, I don't want to confuse the conversation about what is easy to use with what someone is used to.

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      • marcusquinnM Offline
        marcusquinnM Offline
        marcusquinn
        wrote on last edited by marcusquinn
        #82

        There's another element to choice of communications apps, and that's the democratic vote that it represents as to whether you endorse a company and its ethics or not.

        Facebook raises it's value from the number of users and interactions, reduce that and you reduce their value to advertisers and shareholding investors.

        Full privacy is almost impossible - but portability and freedom of choice should be encouraged, and even one movement away from a tech giant is a small win against their mindshare domination aspirations the seem to presume in trying to become an essential utility for most.

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

        M 1 Reply Last reply
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        • marcusquinnM marcusquinn

          There's another element to choice of communications apps, and that's the democratic vote that it represents as to whether you endorse a company and its ethics or not.

          Facebook raises it's value from the number of users and interactions, reduce that and you reduce their value to advertisers and shareholding investors.

          Full privacy is almost impossible - but portability and freedom of choice should be encouraged, and even one movement away from a tech giant is a small win against their mindshare domination aspirations the seem to presume in trying to become an essential utility for most.

          M Offline
          M Offline
          martin
          wrote on last edited by
          #83

          @marcusquinn

          Thanks; this caused me to think of Mike Masnik's paper emphasizing endorsement of protocols instead of platforms, might perhaps be relevant / interesting.

          https://knightcolumbia.org/content/protocols-not-platforms-a-technological-approach-to-free-speech

          marcusquinnM 1 Reply Last reply
          5
          • M martin

            @marcusquinn

            Thanks; this caused me to think of Mike Masnik's paper emphasizing endorsement of protocols instead of platforms, might perhaps be relevant / interesting.

            https://knightcolumbia.org/content/protocols-not-platforms-a-technological-approach-to-free-speech

            marcusquinnM Offline
            marcusquinnM Offline
            marcusquinn
            wrote on last edited by
            #84

            @martin Yup, also reminds me of the quote to paraphrase; "Bad things happen when good people do nothing."

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

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            • humptydumptyH humptydumpty

              @jodumont I read somewhere that the biggest user group of linux is the US military. I'll try to find a source for you. Open source is seen as a positive, not a negative. The military from other nations also use Linux like China and Turkey...

              https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2013/10/the-navys-newest-warship-is-powered-by-linux/

              https://www.zdnet.com/article/the-air-forces-secure-linux-distribution/

              https://mil-oss.org/

              https://www.fudzilla.com/news/50016-us-military-loves-linux

              JOduMonTJ Offline
              JOduMonTJ Offline
              JOduMonT
              wrote on last edited by
              #85

              @humptydumpty said in Best privacy chat apps:

              @jodumont I read somewhere that the biggest user group of linux is the US military. I'll try to find a source for you. Open source is seen as a positive, not a negative. The military from other nations also use Linux like China and Turkey...

              I'm sure your right, and I'm fully for OpenSource and choose OpenSource by Default, simply, sometimes, some irrational thought are hard to destroy 🙂

              @ianhyzy said in Best privacy chat apps:

              @jodumont SIgnal is by far the most secure digital messaging app usable by normal people at this point and this isn't a controversial point among security folks. No matter app what you use, law enforcement can subpoena your phone's cell tower connection records, among other things(at least in the US).

              So Imagine in a country run by a King who decided nobody could say anything bad about him, his family and his government 😉

              1 Reply Last reply
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              • humptydumptyH humptydumpty

                @jodumont I read somewhere that the biggest user group of linux is the US military. I'll try to find a source for you. Open source is seen as a positive, not a negative. The military from other nations also use Linux like China and Turkey...

                https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2013/10/the-navys-newest-warship-is-powered-by-linux/

                https://www.zdnet.com/article/the-air-forces-secure-linux-distribution/

                https://mil-oss.org/

                https://www.fudzilla.com/news/50016-us-military-loves-linux

                JOduMonTJ Offline
                JOduMonTJ Offline
                JOduMonT
                wrote on last edited by
                #86

                @humptydumpty said in Best privacy chat apps:

                other nations also use Linux like China and Turkey...

                French Police also use Linux 😉
                https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_software_movement#Legislation_and_government

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                • JOduMonTJ Offline
                  JOduMonTJ Offline
                  JOduMonT
                  wrote on last edited by
                  #87

                  Just randomly found this via GitHub: https://berty.tech
                  a privacy-first distributed messaging app.

                  jdaviescoatesJ 1 Reply Last reply
                  1
                  • JOduMonTJ JOduMonT

                    Just randomly found this via GitHub: https://berty.tech
                    a privacy-first distributed messaging app.

                    jdaviescoatesJ Offline
                    jdaviescoatesJ Offline
                    jdaviescoates
                    wrote on last edited by
                    #88

                    @jodumont sounds very promising

                    I use Cloudron with Gandi & Hetzner

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                    1
                    • ? Offline
                      ? Offline
                      A Former User
                      wrote on last edited by
                      #89

                      "Berty is still under active development and should not be used to exchange important data.

                      The current Berty Messenger implementation is not using the Berty Protocol yet, but OrbitDB directly. Which means the encryption is not safe, but the good news is that the current Berty Messenger app is already a P2P one!"

                      https://berty.tech/docs/berty/

                      1 Reply Last reply
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                      • marcusquinnM Offline
                        marcusquinnM Offline
                        marcusquinn
                        wrote on last edited by
                        #90

                        Just stumbled across this, maybe interesting, well reviewed too:

                        • https://cointelegraph.com/news/after-launching-dapp-to-rival-whatsapp-blockchain-wants-to-take-on-instagram
                        • https://www.jup.io/metis-messenger
                        • https://apps.apple.com/us/app/metis/id1564486481

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

                        doodlemania2D 1 Reply Last reply
                        0
                        • marcusquinnM marcusquinn

                          Just stumbled across this, maybe interesting, well reviewed too:

                          • https://cointelegraph.com/news/after-launching-dapp-to-rival-whatsapp-blockchain-wants-to-take-on-instagram
                          • https://www.jup.io/metis-messenger
                          • https://apps.apple.com/us/app/metis/id1564486481
                          doodlemania2D Offline
                          doodlemania2D Offline
                          doodlemania2
                          App Dev
                          wrote on last edited by
                          #91

                          yall should also check out Session (getsession.org) it's pretty sweet - a fork of Signal protocol with the backend using the Loki/Oxen network and in the table above, requires zero of the 19 permissions that Signal requires. I personally REALLY enjoy it.

                          The downsides are obvious here in the usability department. In order to get to chatting with someone, you HAVE to exchange keys. Signal makes that easier cause they generate QR codes but also integrate with your contacts.

                          One thing to note, however, as a plus to Signal, is they use confidential computing on Azure to hide all the contacts processing, which is a really great use of that particular tech.

                          marcusquinnM L 2 Replies Last reply
                          4
                          • doodlemania2D doodlemania2

                            yall should also check out Session (getsession.org) it's pretty sweet - a fork of Signal protocol with the backend using the Loki/Oxen network and in the table above, requires zero of the 19 permissions that Signal requires. I personally REALLY enjoy it.

                            The downsides are obvious here in the usability department. In order to get to chatting with someone, you HAVE to exchange keys. Signal makes that easier cause they generate QR codes but also integrate with your contacts.

                            One thing to note, however, as a plus to Signal, is they use confidential computing on Azure to hide all the contacts processing, which is a really great use of that particular tech.

                            marcusquinnM Offline
                            marcusquinnM Offline
                            marcusquinn
                            wrote on last edited by marcusquinn
                            #92

                            @doodlemania2 I did give Session a try, kinda felt primitive and like persuading anyone to switch from Signal would be at the expense of losing features for marginal additional privacy.

                            get that the metadata with Signal isn't private, and that's annoying, but the main thing for me is avoiding using Facebook/Google products.

                            I'm sure Session will continue to evolve, so hopefully they don't lose momentum and have the capability to reach feature parity with the current most popular apps.

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

                            ianhyzyI 1 Reply Last reply
                            4
                            • marcusquinnM marcusquinn

                              @doodlemania2 I did give Session a try, kinda felt primitive and like persuading anyone to switch from Signal would be at the expense of losing features for marginal additional privacy.

                              get that the metadata with Signal isn't private, and that's annoying, but the main thing for me is avoiding using Facebook/Google products.

                              I'm sure Session will continue to evolve, so hopefully they don't lose momentum and have the capability to reach feature parity with the current most popular apps.

                              ianhyzyI Offline
                              ianhyzyI Offline
                              ianhyzy
                              wrote on last edited by
                              #93

                              @marcusquinn yeah, a lot of alternatives to signal look neat but fail at being cross platform or easy for normal people to use

                              1 Reply Last reply
                              2
                              • ? 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

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