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1. Embed this notice
   Signal (signalapp@mastodon.world)'s status on Wednesday, 06-Mar-2024 03:57:35 JST Signal

   Phone number privacy and usernames are now rolling out to everyone using Signal version 7.0! Update your app to take advantage of these new features 🎇

   https://signal.org/blog/phone-number-privacy-usernames/

   • Linux Walt Alt (@lnxw37a2) {3EB165E0-5BB1-45D2-9E7D-93B31821F864} repeated this.
   • Embed this notice
     Blort™ 🐀Ⓥ🥋☣️ (blort@social.tchncs.de)'s status on Friday, 29-Mar-2024 23:59:38 JST Blort™ 🐀Ⓥ🥋☣️

     in reply to

     @signalapp

     There's no "phone number privacy" as long a people are forced en mass to supply phone numbers and have them kept on record.

     While that happens it's just a matter of time until that data goes to someone else, either by a backroom deal, legal enforcement or security breach.

     For all we know it's already happening.

     Real privacy is not requiring phone numbers at all. This is a laudible improvement, but it is not privacy. Telling people otherwise is misleading.

     #SIgnal #Privacy

     Linux Walt Alt (@lnxw37a2) {3EB165E0-5BB1-45D2-9E7D-93B31821F864} likes this.
   • Embed this notice
     Blort™ 🐀Ⓥ🥋☣️ (blort@social.tchncs.de)'s status on Saturday, 30-Mar-2024 02:55:37 JST Blort™ 🐀Ⓥ🥋☣️

     in reply to

     • Bernard Marks
     • 9x0rg
     • liberloebi 📖

     @liberloebi @9x0rg @Bernard

     I'll play around with it. I'll see if things work as I expect and that kind of thing. I won't be recommending it to anyone or deploying until I see a sustainable path forward without enshittification, though.

     Linux Walt Alt (@lnxw37a2) {3EB165E0-5BB1-45D2-9E7D-93B31821F864} likes this.
   • Embed this notice
     liberloebi 📖 (liberloebi@digitalcourage.social)'s status on Saturday, 30-Mar-2024 02:55:38 JST liberloebi 📖

     in reply to

     • Blort™ 🐀Ⓥ🥋☣️
     • Bernard Marks
     • 9x0rg

     @Blort @9x0rg @Bernard There is an enormous Hype around SimpleX, but I prefer to wait and see, too.

   • Embed this notice
     Blort™ 🐀Ⓥ🥋☣️ (blort@social.tchncs.de)'s status on Saturday, 30-Mar-2024 02:55:39 JST Blort™ 🐀Ⓥ🥋☣️

     in reply to

     • Bernard Marks
     • 9x0rg

     @9x0rg @Bernard

     Thanks. I read it. So, SimpleX owes money to VC, with no clear (public) plan to repay. So no way to ensure profitability without a privacy rugpull, when VC's demand their money back.

     Vague plan is to "likely" use paid premium features / target businesses. Paid services strip privacy (via credit card, unless #Monero) and both make non-paying users second class.

     I'll watch but won't recommend until there's a public, non-evil path to profitability or it's 100% community run.

   • Embed this notice
     9x0rg (9x0rg@mamot.fr)'s status on Saturday, 30-Mar-2024 02:55:41 JST 9x0rg

     in reply to

     • Blort™ 🐀Ⓥ🥋☣️
     • Bernard Marks

     Hi @Blort,

     You may want to have a look at this subreddit from yesterday - aka 'when the shit hits the fan'. I've been following SimpleX for a while and was curious about the main developer's attitude to the VC funding the project received from Village Global... It's worth the read IMHO.

     https://www.reddit.com/r/selfhosted/comments/1bm290z/simplex_chat_fully_opensource_private_messenger/

     tl;dr: app uninstalled. I stick to Signal/XMPP/Matrix in this order.

     @Bernard

   • Embed this notice
     Bernard Marks (bernard@friends.ravergram.club)'s status on Saturday, 30-Mar-2024 02:55:42 JST Bernard Marks

     in reply to

     • Blort™ 🐀Ⓥ🥋☣️

     @Blort VC's throw around a lot of money hoping but not requiring a payback. Simplex is a platform on which monetized apps could be created. We can only hope that the chat app stays clean. I am flexible to switch up comms anytime I need to, but most people are stubbornly stuck with whatever they have adopted. This is why I regret convincing people to use Signal years ago.

   • Embed this notice
     Blort™ 🐀Ⓥ🥋☣️ (blort@social.tchncs.de)'s status on Saturday, 30-Mar-2024 02:55:42 JST Blort™ 🐀Ⓥ🥋☣️

     in reply to

     • Bernard Marks

     @Bernard

     I got my family on #WireApp , which *had* a good privacy policy. They were bought and deleted all the clauses about not selling PII. It was tough convincing family something bad was up, when the app looked like it still worked the same.

     Now I check the funding plan on any new app before getting others involved.

     Sure, not every app will make money, but every VC expects a plan to try.

     Not being up front with that plan is a red flag for me. Still need to research #Simplex.

     #Privacy

   • Embed this notice
     Bernard Marks (bernard@friends.ravergram.club)'s status on Saturday, 30-Mar-2024 02:55:44 JST Bernard Marks

     in reply to

     • Blort™ 🐀Ⓥ🥋☣️

     @Blort
     The phone number is foundational to Signal. It took them years to enable the usernames which are still tied to your phone number. I wouldn't hold your breath waiting for them to change out the foundations. Try simplex.chat that was designed to not even have identities. Spinning up decentralized servers is also easy. Desktop integration does not work that well yet, but they can improve the features on this solid foundation.

   • Embed this notice
     Blort™ 🐀Ⓥ🥋☣️ (blort@social.tchncs.de)'s status on Saturday, 30-Mar-2024 02:55:44 JST Blort™ 🐀Ⓥ🥋☣️

     in reply to

     • Bernard Marks

     @Bernard

     I agree it would likely take many years for #Signal to drop the phone number, although they could easily drop the marketing that subtly implies they';ve done this.

     From what I've heard, #SimpleXchat sounds interesting. I'm just waiting for them to clarify what their funding plan is to pay back the VC's and fund future development. RIght now they have money and look like they're doing things right. Avoiding enshitification when the money runs out is hard though (*cough* Wire *cough*).