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1. Embed this notice
   Aral Balkan (aral@mastodon.ar.al)'s status on Tuesday, 10-Feb-2026 16:38:44 JST Aral Balkan

   • Element

   PS. With all the Discord stuff, in case you wonder why you never see me promoting Matrix, it’s not because it’s a usability nightmare (which it is) but because it’s made by the kind of people who’d be happy to call ICE a client. @element https://mastodon.matrix.org/@element/110340953550548309

   • Johnny Peligro repeated this.
   • Embed this notice
     Aral Balkan (aral@mastodon.ar.al)'s status on Tuesday, 10-Feb-2026 16:48:05 JST Aral Balkan

     in reply to

     • Element
     • FKFTSH

     @fuckfetish @element There used to be Mattermost but I just took a look at their site and it looks like they’ve gone full “military fuck yeah”.

     This is what happens when people believe the “we care about human rights blah blah” bullshit of open source enterprise software corporations. The hint’s in “enterprise software” – that’s that they’re about, nothing else.

   • Embed this notice
     FKFTSH (fuckfetish@fuckaas.space)'s status on Tuesday, 10-Feb-2026 16:48:07 JST FKFTSH

     in reply to

     • Element

     @aral @element ew, what the fuck? thank you for sharing. do you have any good ideas for alternatives?

   • Embed this notice
     Blurry Moon (sun@shitposter.world)'s status on Tuesday, 10-Feb-2026 17:53:41 JST Blurry Moon

     in reply to

     • Element
     @aral @element I don’t care who makes it but I won’t give them money
   • Embed this notice
     Ree (ree@shitposter.world)'s status on Tuesday, 10-Feb-2026 18:06:55 JST Ree

     in reply to

     • Element
     • Blurry Moon
     @sun @aral @element f in foss doesn't stand for fascism this guy is smoking crack. I don't think I'll find it either
     Blurry Moon likes this.
   • Embed this notice
     Encyclopædia Autistica (Order Now!) (mrsaturday@shitposter.world)'s status on Tuesday, 10-Feb-2026 18:14:34 JST Encyclopædia Autistica (Order Now!)

     in reply to

     • Element
     @aral @element You're right. It means free, as in freedom, as it free to disagree with Aral Balkan and still use that software.
     
     Take a look in the mirror.
     Blurry Moon and Johnny Peligro like this.
   • Embed this notice
     Blurry Moon (sun@shitposter.world)'s status on Tuesday, 10-Feb-2026 18:16:10 JST Blurry Moon

     in reply to

     • Element
     • Encyclopædia Autistica (Order Now!)
     @mrsaturday @aral @element pro tip if you use a computer you assent to human slavery in manufacturing if you think about it for like a second
   • Embed this notice
     Blurry Moon (sun@shitposter.world)'s status on Tuesday, 10-Feb-2026 18:26:37 JST Blurry Moon

     in reply to

     • Element
     • Encyclopædia Autistica (Order Now!)
     @mrsaturday @aral @element nice meme bro but who mined your rare earth metals
   • Embed this notice
     Encyclopædia Autistica (Order Now!) (mrsaturday@shitposter.world)'s status on Tuesday, 10-Feb-2026 18:26:38 JST Encyclopædia Autistica (Order Now!)

     in reply to

     • Element
     • Blurry Moon
     @sun @aral @element The Foxconn nets are part of their employee enrichment campaign, where they turned the side of the building into a makeshift playground. Few know this
     Blurry Moon likes this.
   • Embed this notice
     Aral Balkan (aral@mastodon.ar.al)'s status on Tuesday, 10-Feb-2026 18:31:39 JST Aral Balkan

     in reply to

     • Element

     @element Bro, this you? Don’t piss in my face and tell me it’s raining.

   • Embed this notice
     Element (element@mastodon.matrix.org)'s status on Tuesday, 10-Feb-2026 18:31:40 JST Element

     in reply to

     @aral This is not the case. See https://element.io/en/legal/ethics for the public ethics policy of who we sell to.

     Aral Balkan repeated this.
   • Embed this notice
     Magnus Ahltorp (ahltorp@mastodon.nu)'s status on Tuesday, 10-Feb-2026 18:32:25 JST Magnus Ahltorp

     in reply to

     • Element

     @aral Note how @element is not saying what ”is not the case”, while linking to a page clearly and explicitly stating that they’re selling to ”police”.

   • Embed this notice
     Aral Balkan (aral@mastodon.ar.al)'s status on Tuesday, 10-Feb-2026 18:33:11 JST Aral Balkan

     in reply to

     • Element
     • Magnus Ahltorp

     @ahltorp @element Oh it’s ok, they only sell to white fascists apparently.

   • Embed this notice
     [object Object] (zzt@mas.to)'s status on Tuesday, 10-Feb-2026 18:34:11 JST [object Object]

     in reply to

     • Element

     @element @aral this is just a page that says “unable to decrypt message”

     more seriously, instead of giving a generic “this is not the case” in response to aral’s post that included receipts of the partnerships you’ve entered, are you able to confirm in writing that you will not provide services or technology to ICE or its affiliates? if one of the American police departments you have partnered with has become affiliated with ICE, have you done anything to end that partnership?

   • Embed this notice
     [object Object] (zzt@mas.to)'s status on Tuesday, 10-Feb-2026 18:34:11 JST [object Object]

     in reply to

     • Element

     @element @aral in the context that these are public institutions and that you’ve been very public in supporting them with partnerships and technology: are you able to show me a case where an organization you partnered with violated items #5 or #6 in the link you posted and forced you to end the partnership?

     Aral Balkan repeated this.
   • Embed this notice
     [object Object] (zzt@mas.to)'s status on Tuesday, 10-Feb-2026 18:34:11 JST [object Object]

     in reply to

     • Element

     @element @aral come on guys, I gave you such a softball with this one. I didn’t even talk about how your stated ethics are neoliberal claptrap desperately searching for a non-paradoxical definition of a good cop who can never exist.

     all you gotta do is tell us explicitly you won’t work with ICE and give us an example of the consequences for a public institution that violated your ethics policy.

     yes you can share that exact information; you’re receiving public money for your services.

   • Embed this notice
     Aral Balkan (aral@mastodon.ar.al)'s status on Tuesday, 10-Feb-2026 18:41:36 JST Aral Balkan

     in reply to

     • kravietz 🦇
     • Element

     @kravietz @element Yeah, the path to fascism is paved with one “quite natural” after another.

   • Embed this notice
     kravietz 🦇 (kravietz@agora.echelon.pl)'s status on Tuesday, 10-Feb-2026 18:41:37 JST kravietz 🦇

     in reply to

     • Element

     @aral What is exactly your problem here? Matrix is an encrypted messaging standard - as a maintainer of an Internet standard quite natural to sell consulting services to commercial clients, including your government. This is exactly the same case with HTTP or SMTP, which are widely used by governments and law enforcement, so why single out IM?

     @element

   • Embed this notice
     Børge (forteller@tutoteket.no)'s status on Tuesday, 10-Feb-2026 19:12:43 JST Børge

     in reply to

     • Element
     • Magnus Ahltorp

     @ahltorp @aral @element Personally I think it's a big difference between selling to police, so they can be independent from US oligarchical tech companies, which will give all their data to the fascist US government if asked, and to sell to the Gestapo.

     You don't have to agree with me, of course, but I don't see for example my own country disbandoning its police force any time soon, and I'd rather not have them reliant on MS Teams or the like. So imo Element having this distinction is good

   • Embed this notice
     mpsi (mpsi@toot.lv)'s status on Tuesday, 10-Feb-2026 20:08:27 JST mpsi

     in reply to

     • Element

     @aral Your position implies that the police is an enemy and that states shouldn't have any kind of law enforcement called "police". But can you pledge that you will never, ever call the police, nor expect any police intervention or involvement, no matter what?

     States are human super-organisms and their existence is both necessary and unavoidable in our world. And states need a police force to be effective. @element

   • Embed this notice
     Aral Balkan (aral@mastodon.ar.al)'s status on Tuesday, 10-Feb-2026 20:08:27 JST Aral Balkan

     in reply to

     • Element
     • mpsi

     @mpsi @element Yes, abolish the police. I don’t see a problem with that. We don’t need a slave patrol derived institution that protects the interests of the uber rich. Imagine other possibilities, it’s not either/or.

   • Embed this notice
     Aral Balkan (aral@mastodon.ar.al)'s status on Tuesday, 10-Feb-2026 20:35:52 JST Aral Balkan

     in reply to

     • Element
     • Jaime Herazo

     @jherazob @element You and I both, Jaime, you and I both.

   • Embed this notice
     Jaime Herazo (jherazob@mastodon.ie)'s status on Tuesday, 10-Feb-2026 20:35:53 JST Jaime Herazo

     in reply to

     • Element

     @aral @element
     Oh for fuck's sake! I hate this timeline!🤦

   • Embed this notice
     SuperDicq (superdicq@minidisc.tokyo)'s status on Tuesday, 10-Feb-2026 21:04:56 JST SuperDicq

     in reply to

     • Misuse Case
     • Element
     • Biorreactivo

     @MisuseCase@twit.social @aral@mastodon.ar.al @precariousmind@neopaquita.es @element@mastodon.matrix.org Unfortunately Signal is also ran by fascist bootlickers. As they still refuse to remove proprietary Google code from their official apps.
     
     Use XMPP instead.

   • Embed this notice
     Misuse Case (misusecase@twit.social)'s status on Tuesday, 10-Feb-2026 21:04:57 JST Misuse Case

     in reply to

     • Element
     • Biorreactivo

     @aral @precariousmind @element Hahaha. So next time I see someone putting down Signal and boosting Matrix, I can say “signal isn’t run by fascist bootlickers.”

   • Embed this notice
     SuperDicq (superdicq@minidisc.tokyo)'s status on Tuesday, 10-Feb-2026 21:09:40 JST SuperDicq

     in reply to

     • Misuse Case
     • Element
     • Biorreactivo

     @MisuseCase@twit.social @aral@mastodon.ar.al @precariousmind@neopaquita.es @element@mastodon.matrix.org My avatar is a wonderful piece of art drawn by manga artist Hiroshi Seo to promote the free software movement.
     
     And what is your avatar supposed to be? xkcd ripoff?

   • Embed this notice
     Misuse Case (misusecase@twit.social)'s status on Tuesday, 10-Feb-2026 21:09:41 JST Misuse Case

     in reply to

     • SuperDicq
     • Element
     • Biorreactivo

     @SuperDicq @aral @precariousmind @element Help, I’m getting mobbed by anime avatars

   • Embed this notice
     SuperDicq (superdicq@minidisc.tokyo)'s status on Tuesday, 10-Feb-2026 21:13:23 JST SuperDicq

     in reply to

     • Misuse Case
     • Element
     • Biorreactivo

     @MisuseCase@twit.social @aral@mastodon.ar.al @precariousmind@neopaquita.es @element@mastodon.matrix.org Also nice personal attack. If you don't actually want to refute my point you can just say so or ignore me instead.

   • Embed this notice
     beard ひげ (beardalaxy@gameliberty.club)'s status on Tuesday, 10-Feb-2026 21:18:58 JST beard ひげ

     in reply to

     • Element

     @aral @element sounds like a pretty good endorsement if you ask me

     Johnny Peligro likes this.
   • Embed this notice
     Johnny Peligro (mischievoustomato@tsundere.love)'s status on Tuesday, 10-Feb-2026 21:21:02 JST Johnny Peligro

     in reply to

     • Element
     • Blurry Moon
     @sun @aral @element me neither (i don't have money but if i did i'd give it to the conduit and fractal devs)
   • Embed this notice
     kravietz 🦇 (kravietz@agora.echelon.pl)'s status on Wednesday, 11-Feb-2026 14:28:11 JST kravietz 🦇

     in reply to

     • Element
     • Magnus Ahltorp

     @aral

     Don’t you think you’ve gone a bit too far with your chain of extrapolated fallacies? You’ve build a whole chain of hype that goes from “we offer paid consulting to corporate clients including governments” through “we sell to ICE” up to “we only sell to white fascists”. Since Matrix is mostly used by edu in Germany and gov in France, how did you make this “white fascist” extrapolation, granted that plenty of government officials in Europe are black or of other non-white origin, e.g. minister Sarah El Haïry, Rima Abdul Malak or Fadila Khattabi in France?

     @ahltorp @element

     Blurry Moon likes this.