Posted by Rambler in Privacy

Pretty much what the title asks.

What is everyone using? I'm lucky enough to have a few close friends who use Signal, though trying to get other friends/family to convert for everyday messaging has been difficult and not something I'm going to push. I like that I can use the desktop app to communicate to those who also have the app. Signal seems pretty well regarded in terms of privacy and security when compared to alternatives like WhatsApp and Telegram.

With that said, Signal is more for people I actually know as I'm not going to share my phone number with random strangers to chit-chat with.

What messaging app or service are people using for just general chit-chat?

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razorsedge wrote

Matrix is worth a look for sure.

But definitely check out Briar. https://briarproject.org/

Android only..

Briar is a powerful messaging tool with a brilliant design that runs over Tor only. Development is slow but ongoing and active. Briar is totally metadata resistant.

Currently Briar lacks the ability to make calls, transfer files etc so it is not feature rich. But all these things are under development.

But for basic totally secure messaging Briar is the Champ. Contact sharing is by mutual agreement and does not use address books, phone numbers etc so Briar is totally anonymous and of course fully encrypted.

Do check it it.

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boobs wrote

briar only works if you have IRL friends that you can meet in person.

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RichardButte wrote

They updated and users can now send invites on a secondary text messaging platform.

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razorsedge wrote

Actually, that is not correct. Current versions of Briar allow a user to add a contact remotely.

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RichardButte wrote

I want to love Briar so much, but as long as it doesn't support backup or exporting user data you're stuck on your current device.

There is literally no way of migrating devices without manually sending new contact info to everyone, you WILL lose everything in your profile and if you lose your phone?

"For journalists who needs security" - Well, I guess you just have to contact your secret sources directly again.

Yes, Briar is currently being worked on. But not the export/migration/backup system, the original issue ticked is FIVE YEARS OLD! Because of that I'm actively warning everybody about this critical issue.

For what it's worth, Briar GTK has direct messaging working on linux desktops.

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smooth_jazz wrote

If have rooted your phone, you can use something like OAndBackup and copy the backup files to another phone and restore it there. But I don't think a lot of people have root. Would be great if they implemented it though.

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Rambler OP wrote

Nice, looks like it's worth a review.

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RichardButte wrote

Nothing. There is no secure messengers or services that regular people use. Sure I'm on both Telegram and Signal but "it's another app!" to people. Fine, SMS or nothing then and don't expect me to respond to anything but the most satin of vanilla text. Fuck off with your Facebook messengers!

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z3d wrote

If you're looking for an end-to-end encrypted chat app that also handles file transfers and doesn't rely on intermediate servers, you might want to look at I2PChat (formerly I2PMessenger).

It's had an interface overhaul recently and is straightforward to use. No signup required, no metadata to log, a settings folder that's easy to migrate, and cross-platform.

To compile, you'll need to have Qt 5.14 or later installed; the source code is available at: https://vituperative.github.io/i2pchat/

If you're on Windows, a pre-built CI binary is available from: https://ci.appveyor.com/project/wipedlifepotato/i2pchat/build/artifacts

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furtivefestivefighter wrote

qtox.github.io

  • text chat
  • voice
  • video
  • android no iOS
  • win,mac,linux,bsd
  • open source
  • decentralized
  • end to end
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mr4channer wrote

xmpp omemo, irc 6697 port, its all you need. maybe element/matrix if you like normie/zoomer style messaging.

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