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Notes on privacy and data collection of Matrix.org (2019)

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Re: Notes on privacy and data collection of Matrix.org (2019)

#31

Post by Snitch-Thursday »

fsflover wrote: post #29
EGreg wrote: post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In terms of closed centralized services, I’d say Telegram is my top pick, followed by Signal. But I would take open source decentralized networks over them anyday, and my favorite is Freenet, or the much newer network, MaidSAFE because it is the most secure thing I have ever seen (but that’s not mainstream yet).

How about Ricochet instant messenger or I2P?

Think Ricochet got replaced by cwtch.im correct? At least the binaries I can find of Ricochet are super stale.

Re: Notes on privacy and data collection of Matrix.org (2019)

#32

Post by mike-cardwell »

Seems pretty private to me. I run a Matrix server (synapse) and have a handful of friends in a private encrypted room. Regularly, people become unable to read each others messages, for no obvious reason. Some cryptic message about not having each others keys or whatever. Doesn't get much more private than that.

Re: Notes on privacy and data collection of Matrix.org (2019)

#33

Post by ninchuka »

mike-cardwell wrote: post #32

Seems pretty private to me. I run a Matrix server (synapse) and have a handful of friends in a private encrypted room. Regularly, people become unable to read each others messages, for no obvious reason. Some cryptic message about not having each others keys or whatever. Doesn't get much more private than that.

I've only had this issue when its between 2 people on the same HS, but I've never had it happen when I'm talking to someone on another HS its weird as hell

Re: Notes on privacy and data collection of Matrix.org (2019)

#34

Post by m-p-3 »

fsflover wrote: post #26
ajvs wrote: post #25

These issues I'd consider pretty crucial to approaching Signal-like privacy and there's not been much progress on them unfortunately: https://github.com/matrix-org/matrix-doc/pull/1769 https://github.com/vector-im/element-web/issues/11655 https://github.com/vector-im/element-web/issues/2320 https://github.com/vector-im/element-web/issues/2772 https://github.com/vector-im/element-web/issues/2458

Unfortunately Signal is a walled garden actively fighting against alternative clients and servers. This is enough for me to avoid it and recommend Matrix. If you feel that those issues are critical, please donate your money or time to solve them.

And Signal forces you to use your phone number as your identifier, which can be traced relatively easily to a person or at least a geographical position by the authorities.

The content of the message might be encrypted, but metadata can provide valuable intelligence insights.

At least Matrix can be used mostly anonymously through a user-generated identifier, without an email address or phone number, and can be used through Tor.

Re: Notes on privacy and data collection of Matrix.org (2019)

#35

Post by kown7 »

EGreg wrote: post #27
fsflover wrote: post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Unfortunately Signal is a walled garden actively fighting against alternative clients and servers. This is enough for me to avoid it and recommend Matrix. If you feel that those issues are critical, please donate your money or time to solve them.

In terms of closed centralized services, I’d say Telegram is my top pick, followed by Signal. But I would take open source decentralized networks over them anyday, and my favorite is Freenet, or the much newer network, MaidSAFE because it is the most secure thing I have ever seen (but that’s not mainstream yet).

I don't see the allure of Telegram over anything; can you elaborate?

Re: Notes on privacy and data collection of Matrix.org (2019)

#36

Post by ninchuka »

gefhfff wrote: post #23
southerntofu wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> So seems that they probably won't have issues with that it might harm Matrix, as they are a direct competitor. I was not aware of the Grid project, but they seem to make good points. Matrix is developed by a restricted group of people with a startup vibe and some cringy/questionable actions: - spitting on other protocols (or not even acknowledging their existence) without a technical reasoning (Matrix could have be…

> which takes us to the situation where Matrix has the exact same selling points which XMPP had 20 years ago... and keeps on reinventing the wheel I don't get it. XMPP had MEGOLM, cross signing, decentralized chat rooms, good iOS support in practice, very simple sync of e2ee chat history, ... 20 years ago? > spitting on other protocols (or not even acknowledging their existence) without a technical reasoning (Matrix…

I feel like they are just throwing out lots of old information they read without checking if its still true, since its up to room version 9 now :P and like you said they are working on native video calls in matrix

Re: Notes on privacy and data collection of Matrix.org (2019)

#37

Post by aero-glide2 »

ad404b8a372f2b9 wrote: post #10
thepangolino wrote: post #4

And meanwhile people keep on ignoring Tox when not sh*ting on it.

Hadn't heard of it before. It looks really good, any particular reason people shit on it?

Both have to be online to transmit messages. As there is no server.

Re: Notes on privacy and data collection of Matrix.org (2019)

#38

Post by ryukafalz »

southerntofu wrote: post #19
capableweb wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> So, with that in mind: Kudos for such an analysis, but be mindful that such a lengthy document that discusses minor issues can actually harm the matrix project. Under "Purpose and Scope": > This document is a research paper by Libre Monde ASBL, nonprofit dedicated to protecting people's privacy. We had the need to document privacy points for The Grid Protocol project, fork of the Matrix protocol. So seems that they…

> So seems that they probably won't have issues with that it might harm Matrix, as they are a direct competitor. I was not aware of the Grid project, but they seem to make good points. Matrix is developed by a restricted group of people with a startup vibe and some cringy/questionable actions: - spitting on other protocols (or not even acknowledging their existence) without a technical reasoning (Matrix could have be…

> pushing for a broken state resolution algorithm (decentralized consensus) without a formal analysis, which means it's now reached its 5th or 6th version and Matrix clients are all incompatible with one another (because only Element implements them all) and once they have been upgraded rooms cannot be downgraded so in many places only Element can chat

This is false. Clients don't do state res, servers do. Clients don't care.

Re: Notes on privacy and data collection of Matrix.org (2019)

#40

Post by fsflover »

Snitch-Thursday wrote: post #31
fsflover wrote: post #29

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How about Ricochet instant messenger or I2P?

Think Ricochet got replaced by cwtch.im correct? At least the binaries I can find of Ricochet are super stale.

https://www.ricochetrefresh.net/
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