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Privacy is priceless, but Signal is expensive

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Re: Privacy is priceless, but Signal is expensive

#481

Post by crtasm »

Aachen wrote: post #398
ruffrey wrote: post #85

I would pay for a few signal features: 1. encrypted backups or backup integration of my chats, photos and videos. 2. business features (backup, directory integration, search) I have not used: 1. voice and video Incredible that SMS costs so much. I wonder if it's worth it because it _saves_ so much in spam and other sorts of fraud or bad behavior?

I have some good news: go into the settings and turn on encrypted backups. The clients also all come with a search function, even if it only matches against start-of-word (which includes URLs, so you can't search for domain names which regularly bothers me). Directory integration, as in, importing a vcard with everyone's phone number into your device such that you can tap on anyone's name and message them on Signal i…

The backup option is Android-only.

Re: Privacy is priceless, but Signal is expensive

#482

Post by [deleted] »

mplanchard wrote: post #307
akprasad wrote: post #255

I just donated $10 to Signal. Here's how to do so on iPhone in less than a minute: 1. Open Signal and click on your user icon in the upper left. 2. Go to "Settings" --> "Donate to Signal". 3. Click "Donate", select your donation options, and pay with Apple Pay.

I’ve got a recurring donation of $5/mo I set up ages ago

[deleted]

Re: Privacy is priceless, but Signal is expensive

#484

Post by godelski »

wkat4242 wrote: post #435
godelski wrote: post #356

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They take checks by mail. You definitely can do a cashier's check and I'm sure they'd take the "cash in an envelope" method that places like Mullvad do too. Looks like they also support crypto, and that includes Zcash. So I don't think this is a great excuse. The only "can't easily donate" aspect is going to also be tied with the "can't easily get a cashier's check or find an anonymous person to sell me bitcoin for c…

How is a check in any way private? Your name is on it.

A cashier's check doesn't.

Re: Privacy is priceless, but Signal is expensive

#485

Post by qingcharles »

_Algernon_ wrote: post #461
mhh__ wrote: post #410

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Is that including staff + trying to do new stuff or just the servers.

Why should Wikipedia do new stuff? Or rather, why is it okay for Wikipedia to lie to people to get funding for their new pet projects?

Some of those new projects are directly applicable to potentially improving Wikipedia. Some.

Re: Privacy is priceless, but Signal is expensive

#486

Post by jdoss »

poutinepapi wrote: post #107

Understood, $7 CAD per month are heading your way since I use Signal quite a bit.

I started paying for Signal when they rolled out the subscription feature at the $5/mo plan and after reading this post, I just moved to the $10/mo plan because of how much I value this service since I use it every day. I hope other users subscribe if they are able to do so.

Re: Privacy is priceless, but Signal is expensive

#487

Post by wpietri »

GabeIsko wrote: post #295
charles_f wrote: post #279

You have to appreciate the complete transparency, gently nudging towards giving without ever begging for it. Refreshing compared to the alternative that Wikipedia is showing, with the tantrum-like emails we receive from their CEO like "LAST REMINDER" or "We've had enough" ; which they ironically send to people who gave.

Those are just non-profit fundraiser consulting tactics. Don't take them personally, just ignore them. The reason they exist is that Wikipedia has too much money, so they spend some on consultants who say they can raise more. It's weird, but that's how the world works. I would much prefer the Wikipedia endowment model of non-profit orgs. They have a standard operating procedure with a predictable budget, and endowmen…

> Don't take them personally

No. They are meant to manipulate me personally, as well as other persons I care about. I will take them personally.

More broadly, I don't have to excuse bad behavior just because somebody's making money off it or because it makes some too-narrow metric go up. Yes, it's a complex and imperfect world. But to me that's a reason to work harder to make things better, not a reason for people to say, "fuck it" and make the world worse.

Re: Privacy is priceless, but Signal is expensive

#488

Post by karaterobot »

mhh__ wrote: post #410
halyconWays wrote: post #361

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Wikipedia is particularly insulting because they make enough money to cover the actual costs of running Wikipedia (the site) in days if not hours, and could operate for years without any additional donations: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32840097

Is that including staff + trying to do new stuff or just the servers.

It includes staff, but not new stuff. The new stuff seems to be mostly things not directly related to Wikipedia, like funding third-party projects or causes. I'm trying to be politic here: many people don't like the projects they are funding with donation money, and others just don't like that they give money to any projects, and other people don't like that they keep the banner up after they've paid for salaries and keeping the lights on.

Re: Privacy is priceless, but Signal is expensive

#489

Post by caeril »

sneak wrote: post #456
heavyset_go wrote: post #411

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Signal requires a real phone number to open an account, you are not anonymous to Signal.

Phone numbers can be obtained anonymously in many countries. I have several anonymous Signal accounts, each with their own anonymous phone number.

It's possible in the US, but it's getting very difficult. I don't know anywhere you can buy or or borrow a DID with Monero anymore. Looks like they got to Telnum recently.

You can still buy a SIM, a prepaid PIN, and a phone with cash, but you'd need to pay a non-correlated person to be seen on CCTV to do it, at a non-correlated time, and hope they don't just take your money and leave you nothing at the dead drop.

Then there's the hassle of setting up the account in a way that's not correlated with your location, normal waking hours, etc.

All of this could just be avoided if Signal did the right thing.

But they won't. Ask yourself why.

Re: Privacy is priceless, but Signal is expensive

#490

Post by leptons »

lxgr wrote: post #294
leptons wrote: post #182

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'd be happy to pay $1/year for signal, and I'd pay $2/year if it were decoupled from my phone number.

If you pay Signal $1/year, they'll realistically see about 60-70 cents of that – and that's only considering payment processor fees. Now add the cost of providing support (it's a paid product now!), payment handling on their end (in a privacy-preserving way, which excludes most common payment methods), and top it off with the immense damage to the network effect by excluding all the users that can't or simply don't w…

Thanks for over-analyzing my comment. $1/year, $2/year, $5/year, is all insignificant in the wide array of things I pay for. Sure, I'd pay $10/year for Signal as it is today if they really needed me to. And I never said to make payment mandatory. You're just way over analyzing a simple comment.
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