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i've just seen a comment in a post, in this very community, saying people trust signal because of missinformation (from what i could undertand).
if this is true, then i have a few questions:
-what menssaging app should i use for secure communications? i need an app that balances simplicity and security.
-how to explain it to my friends who use signal because i recomended?
-what this means for other apps in general?
They don't allow third party clients.
They are open source, and you can run your own, but it won't ever be allowed to connect to the standard signal server.
Signal has a piece they say is for fighting spam so they can't release the code to it. So you just have to trust them.
https://signal.org/blog/keeping-spam-off-signal/
"We build Signal in the open, with publicly available source code for our applications and servers. To keep Signal a free global communication service without spam, we must depart from our totally-open posture and develop one piece of the server in private: a system for detecting and disrupting spam campaigns"
Signal is not perfect. It's better than most.
I personally use Matrix as I can go to another server or run my own. I run multiple clients. It is NOT perfect and has it's own issues.
Your mom uses Matrix? You could set up something with random people you just met? Because we're at that stage with Signal. It's private and convenient. If I want to have some soort of anonimity I'll use different platforms, indeed.
Yes. My whole family uses Matrix. Including my parents. And no, they're not technical at all. Father, step mother, sister, wife.
And yes I can give someone a link to join me on matrix.
Installing Element has become super easy IMO.
And are you selfhosting and have them join you or how and where do they get their accounts? When the encryption keys don't sync, who's doing tech support?
I mean, my mother is 78. It's all kind of challenging.
At the moment I'm happily on matrix.org and donating monthly to them. Most of my community is on their own Matrix servers. Outages happen, but most of the time it's matrix.org that has an issue and the self-hosters are still able to chat and make fun of me. :) In a friendly way.
Encryption keys not syncing also happens. But it seems to be getting less and less. There are different steps for different devices and platforms. Normally leaving a room and rejoining works to resolve. Sucks, but the Matrix group are ACTIVELY trying to hunt these down.
My father is 71. The Element phone install basically walks you through the process. Including which server to connect to. You'd give them yours if you want them on just yours.
Everyone's situation is different. if you're interested, try it. See if it works. Maybe it doesn't. Then stick with Signal. Signal is awesome, but it is far from perfect.
Matrix is awesome, and it's nowhere near perfect.
Use the tool that works best for you. Some security and encryption is worth it than 0 security and encryption.
https://github.com/exquo/signal-soft/wiki/Software-list
That's a third party software list created by someone not Signal and basically tells you it's a work around to Signal:
"Signal does not have an official API, and the published code requires additional effort to be used outside of the official signal clients."
So I'm not certain the point of the link. There are still clients for Reddit and YouTube and others that are third party and aren't official. Signal doesn't support those.
The point is this statement is pointless because they exist anyway.
And signal can decide to break them if they want. You think it's pointless, but yet you're spending energy fighting a point that is pointless to you?
Was providing additional information because other people could read what you wrote and misunderstand it as being blocked via technical means rather than merely unsupported. What is with people in this community being upset when people challenge their misinformation??? It's a really alarming attribute for something like a privacy community tbh
I'm not upset. So maybe a good question to ask yourself?
And I didn't give misinformation. Signal doesn't allow it. Yes, they exist, and can break at any time.
I personally have Signal. I use Matrix more, but in wouldn't turn away Signal.
OP asked for information on what gives people pause about Signal. I have gave it. Where is my misinformation? I'd like to know so I can learn as well.
What you personally view as pointless, matters to some people.
That's for each to decide. If this is a community focused on privacy, as you said, shouldn't we give everyone the information they asked and not make decisions on what is or is not pointless to them?
It is a fact that Signal is a centralized service. They do not allow federation. They do not allow third party clients. They could decide in the future to turn people accounts off for using third party clients.
I have lived through this numerous times. I don't trust a centralized service as much as one I can run myself. That's for each to decide.