#decentralize.today - The 2022 review of Messaging Service Providers #Briar #decentraliztion #messengersecurity #metadata #meshnetwork #privacy

In 2016, we started running the messenger review series on decentralize.today since we anticipated how significant they would become in the mix of communication options and the impact on privacy.

  • Emberleaf
    41·
    3 years ago

    I really love the idea(s) behind Briar, and I’m excited to see how this critical piece of software evolves. Right now, what I’d like to see implemented most would be the ability to sync ‘accounts’ between different devices like my phone, PC, tablet, etc.

    • davidsong
      8·
      3 years ago

      I ran it for a bit a few years ago when I had very bad internet on holiday - I could never get it working. It hogged all my battery for ages and couldn’t send a message to my gf who was right next to me.

      IMO the way for mesh messaging tech to gain a foothold is by being useful when there’s a bunch of people in a location where there’s no internet, so they should be targeted at those people first:

      • Holiday destinations where people are charged for WiFi and the mobile network is either under heavy pressure or not available (campsites, cruise ships, holidays where roaming charges hurt)
      • Hiking, where people have intermittent internet but other people are sometimes in range for relaying messages
      • Music festivals, where huge numbers of people gathered in one place overload the network.
      • Nightclubs and warehouse parties where you’re in a metal box with no signal unless you go for a smoke
      • A device that doesn’t have a network subscription, like tablets, but wants to get messages while away from WiFi networks

      Then build a public mesh that has utility, not this crazy one-hop fundamentalism but something that actually works.