[Horadric_Cube1984]

I wanted to make this post because I see people using messaging platforms and not knowing the pro's and con's when it comes to those.
So I will be ranking them based on security, trust, and overall ease of use.
They will be posted on my organizations github page, so that it will be easy to find and easy for me to update if new information comes to light.

Rank List: https://github.com/Freedom-Guard/Messagi...form-Ranks

[ConcernedCitizen]

I wanted to make this post because I see people using messaging platforms and not knowing the pro's and con's when it comes to those.
So I will be ranking them based on security, trust, and overall ease of use.
They will be posted on my organizations github page, so that it will be easy to find and easy for me to update if new information comes to light.

Rank List: https://github.com/Freedom-Guard/Messagi...form-Ranks

Ditch Element for Session and WhatsApp can also go.

WhatsApp uses a proprietary hardware security module (HSM) that performs cryptographic functions for its encrypted backups. This was not in the scope of an independent audit done in October last year. This uses embedded custom code that can't be peer-reviewed or seen by security analysts and therefore I do not trust it. I don't trust it over something like Signal or Session. This decision to switch from WhatsApp wasn't biased and was based on real findings in research papers including the audit of Session which was also independent.

Session security audit (direct)
WhatsApp security audit (direct)

[Horadric_Cube1984]

This is just the more popular apps people are using. We weren't trying to name every single app. But it works as a good baseline.

[ConcernedCitizen]

@Horadric_Cube1984

Don't worry it isn't the only FUD I've seen lately and it isn't the last. Your link is 404'd so you must have read actual research about the programs. And who is this "we" of whom you speak? If you're using some of those apps on a daily basis and hoping for security and anonymity you're risking the latter and getting no ROI on the former. Most people are using Session for private 1-on-1 chat and Element for decentralized group chat. But the product is only as secure as the servers which host them.

[Marshland]

Your github page seems to be gone, any way you can share the list here?

[Oni]

Maybe it's a bit old-school, but I always preferred XMPP with OTR.

[ConcernedCitizen]

Maybe it's a bit old-school, but I always preferred XMPP with OTR.

I used to combine Tor and XMPP, and I still can if the need aroses. Say, of I needed to contact a foreigner and they're in a tight legal spot so they can't communicate openly, I can fire up Tor and proxy my jabber client through it to a server I trust, that also respects both of our freedoms. That's becoming less common today. It's still used by activists and whatnot, but it is annoying to setup for a newer user and even more annoying to develop those clients that support older algorithms and still have the time to support newer ones.

It used to be IRC, XMPP and Off the Record chats. Now it's becoming less decentralized (read: more federated). People are continually having to build decentralized platforms or entire mesh networks to combat that.

I think I stopped using a lot of the sort-of niche clients for communication back when there was a massive exodus on most of the Efnet users. Initially, most IRC servers formed a single IRC network, to which new servers could join without restriction, but this was soon abused by people who set up servers to sabotage other users, channels, or servers. Then there were the June 8 attacks before that during the civil war between Voxanon and Anonymous over a dumb feud.

That was just IRC. Many platforms and networks just gave up trying to find some form of non-federated free solution to spying, attacks on 1A rights orgs, activist networks and free speech campaigns. Nobody could agree that IRC or jabber networks were really worth the effort to maintain and protect, therefore limiting legitimate use of the services, lowering user counts and raising the likelihood being caught doing something deemed illegal by the powers that be.

Anyway no probably went on a tangent about internet freedom but I'm just saying I agree that times were simpler.

[ConcernedCitizen]

It seems to me or there are no such applications all.

The post is gone.

[flying rat]

imo telegram is pretty good