From what I can gather Signal, XMPP (Encrypted) and Matrix are the main software for secure communications.
Curious if there are any I’ve missed.
Signal.
Not necessarily because it’s better or because I like it. I actually don’t like it: Signal requiring a phone number really, REALLY doesn’t sit right with me, I hate not being able to back up my messages and having to hold the tiny button on the screen to record an audio or video message really sucks.
But it’s the easiest and most common of the truly private communication apps to get non-technical people to install.
Take a look at Simplex.
I took a look. It ate my battery three times faster than Whatsapp,
TemanTelegram and Signal cumulated.deleted by creator
That’s probably the flipside of polling-based updates.
You can backup your messages with signal… I do it whenever I switch to a new phone.
You can definitely back up your messages… I have auto backups to my SD card…
They claim it’s to generate your encryption key but then I don’t understand why you can’t just give it a passphrase instead. Pretty dumb for a so-called privacy related app.
A regular user like myself finds it easier to answer this question with 3 options:
- Centralized
- Decentralised
- P2P
Signal and Threema are centralized options. With Signal planning on rolling out usernames it will be an excellent choice, hopefully.
Matrix, XMPP, Session, DeltaChat and others are decentralized, and some allow for self-hosting.
Briar is P2P.
Briar
From a privacy perspective, it’s pretty damn good, one of the best.
Hell on battery, unfortunately. I keep it around as an emergency use only service, and don’t run it otherwise.
I just wish the desktop version had Bluetooth functionality, because Waydroid doesn’t allow Bluetooth usage.
Since I could never get my family to switch to anything else I just assume all of my communications are accessible by the government(s) and their corporate owners, so I censor myself.
I’ve heard great things about matrix, but I only really use signal. It’s the only private messenger that’s convieniant and simple to understand for non tech savy people to switch to (at least in my experience)
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Simplex chat, session, Jami or GPG via email
Session
Anyone with experience using Jami? tried using it recently, but could messages were not being received, notification for incoming calls at times were hit and miss. Seems to be updated quite frequently on F-Droid.
Great concept but not stable enough for serious use.
Databag
if you want something niche instead of mainstream: Cwtch
p2p, chat-over-onion, meta data suveillance resistant
Neither Matrix nor XMPP are software, those are protocols. Alsp, there is no point in specifying that XMPP is encrypted without doing the same for Matrix, since you can exchange plain text messages there too.
As for the actual question, here you go: https://www.privacyguides.org/en/real-time-communication/#criteria
Matrix but thinking about XMPP as Matrix leaks a loy of metadata and is pretty slow and new.
If we told just anyone, it wouldn’t be private!!!
Srsly any phone app is inherently insecure because the phone itself is insecure. And there’s lots of metadata leakage, like the phone broadcasting its location. There is no “go to app”. It all depends on what you are trying to do and who you are trying to communicate with.
@solrize @GreyTechnician Bro, just remember one thing, “It’s never private”
