Recent intrusive changes in the privacy policy of WhatsApp (including the sharing of never before seen amounts of unencrypted user data with the parent company Facebook) have prompted a mass exodus of WhatsApp users to the secure and open-source alternative Signal. I have been hoping for a change like this for years. I wrote a non-technical blog post about the problems with WhatsApp in detail, comparing the advantages and disadvantages of other messaging apps as well.

https://output.ilonagabor.de/general/2021/01/11/Signal.html

  • DessalinesA
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    173 years ago

    The pic @awa@lemmy.ml posted is the best here.

    Signal is yet another US / 5-eyes based service, so loses a lot of points for that, and mandatory phone numbers. Matrix or XMPP-based things are going to be much more secure, and harder targets for western intelligence agencies.

    • Bilb!
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      3 years ago

      I really only use Signal as a drop-in replacement for SMS. It’s not something I use to communicate with people who don’t already have my phone number. Signal is a nonstarter for that sort of thing.

      Unfortunately everyone uses Discord for online communities now. Matrix? XMPP? Not even on the map.

      • @sia
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        3 years ago

        deleted by creator

    • SnowCode
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      3 years ago

      I don’t completely agree with this. Matrix is semi-decentralized, almost everybody uses the matrix.org main instance, and hosting matrix is kind of a pain.