PS. With all the Discord stuff, in case you wonder why you never see me promoting Matrix, it’s not because it’s a usability nightmare (which it is) but because it’s made by the kind of people who’d be happy to call ICE a customer.

:awesome:🐦‍🔥nemo™🐦‍⬛ 🇺🇦🍉

@aral

When I read your post I was like… this will generate a lot of discussions, yet still a good post Aral

Also one of the many reasons why I don't use it or promote it too…

&

https://anarc.at/blog/2022-06-17-matrix-notes/#metadata-handling

https://anarc.at/blog/2022-06-17-matrix-notes/#data-retention-defaults

https://telegra.ph/why-not-matrix-08-07

https://element.io/blog/bundesmessenger-is-a-milestone-in-germanys-ground-breaking-vision/

Cool kids use Signal/Molly & Delta Chat

Rysiek posted this during that Signal foo two days ago

https://signal-contingency-plan.info/

https://blog.feld.me/posts/2025/03/deltachat-is-actually-good-though/

Sincerely

Misuse Case

@cygnathreadbare @aral @precariousmind @element And somehow they are *still* better than Matrix

Misuse Case

@SuperDicq @aral @precariousmind @element Help, I’m getting mobbed by anime avatars

Tamtam

@davidgerard I'd be prepared to pay for it as a service.so that I don't have to run it myself, which I wouldn't know ho to anyways. I can't believe it's not possible to make it private, even with payments. Not that I 'd know anything about it, but just looking at all the solutions that people have found, like linux on apple silikon chips or countless others.

Stomata 🥼

@MisuseCase@twit.social @aral@mastodon.ar.al @element@mastodon.matrix.org @precariousmind@neopaquita.es well signal is not something I recommend. After all they use fascist hardware.

divVerent

@aral@mastodon.ar.al @element@mastodon.matrix.org Yeah... apart from this, Matrix is also a way overengineered protocol with not a single working implementation, and Element in particular is bloated as heck and frequently dies for running out of memory on an iPad Apple still supports.

I need an alternative, but sadly none exists, as I absolutely require multi device support and being able to talk to people without handing them my phone number. Maybe XMPP needs to have a revival - collect a good set of extensions, give that a new name and start over?

Carlos Solís · anarc.at/blog/2022-06-17-matri

I wonder, how do XMPP extensions deal with the technical issues mentioned here.

Alex@rtnVFRmedia Suffolk UK · anarc.at/blog/2022-06-17-matri

@nemo @aral I've worked in UK public service and am currently employed in a highly regulated industry (health and social care).

Even if there isn't any covert backdoor to the FOSS version, communications services considered suitable for use by public services and corporates are *expected* to provide some way of monitoring comms and inspecting data for regulatory and compliance purposes (usually at server level), its extremely difficult to get contracts/funding for software without this.

So once they are chasing funding from these sources, there is now no commercial incentive to make a system secure to the point its safe for users such as activists etc, it just needs to be "good enough" for the govt/corporates...

FreediverX

@kravietz @aral @element
Fascists and fascist enablers should be judged by their actions, not by their race or gender.

You seem to approach this subject from the neoliberal perspective that is just thinly veiled colonialism and authoritarianism.

FreediverX

@mpsi @aral @element
The role of police is primarily to protect capital and suppress or oppress the public.

FreediverX

@mpsi
Well then until society can be made to adhere to democratic standards, we shouldn’t support the mechanisms that allow it to suppress resistance and dissent.

FreediverX

@mpsi @MisuseCase @aral @element
A rapidly shrinking number given the realization that so many of them are effectively vassal states to America.

viq

@Tamtam
What exactly do you mean by "private"?
And, service needs to run *somewhere*. And "just buy servers and rent datacenter space" leads do "and who goes in to replace disks and RAM when they fail? And who pays those people?"
And, depending on your needs etc, I'm quite intrigued by Zulip, though it's a specific niche. And yes, they can host it for you. But then they have access to servers.
@davidgerard

Misuse Case

@mpsi @aral @element Guess what? Even in most “better” countries around the world, the cops are an armed gang.

Misuse Case

@Stomata @aral @element @precariousmind What kind of hardware are you posting from?

SyrupSplashin

@aral @element I wonder if this is a "we support fascist governments" or "if these idiots will sell useless encrypted data, we'll sell it"?

Not immediately clear to me given the small context.

mpsi

@MisuseCase @aral @element Do you have any personal experience of living in other countries than the US and encountering police violence?

mpsi

@freediverx Fight for that, this is the only way.

FreediverX

@sotolf @LukefromDC @aral @element
Is that an intentional choice? Could they change that?

mpsi

@freediverx @aral @element In which countries, exactly?
For example, there is police in China, too. And they certainly don't serve "capital".