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switch from Whatsapp to Element (matrix)? (element.io)
submitted 6 months ago by to c/buyfromeu@feddit.org
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I'm thinking of moving away from US-based messengers.

Signal, telegram etc have the same problematic architectures. Of those kinds of solutions, I like Threema best, but nobody uses them (which is only a problem because of their architecture).

So I wanted to get a solution with a decentralized architecture, pretty much like the fediverse.

From what I can see, the fediverse activityPub with MLS layer project (to enable fediverse end-to-end encrypted messaging) is still in the functional documentation stage.

So, what do you think of Element as a messenger (which uses matrix protocol)?

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[–] 0 points 6 months ago (1 child)

One issue is: As rooms are decentralised, if someone posts illegal content and your server downloads it, that could lead to legal trouble, especially as you'd then also host it.

That should only be an issue for media though shouldn't it, since all plain text can be set up to be e2e.

The encryption often fails, leading to the meme "Message cannot be decrypted".

Is that still the case, I have been using matrix for about a year now and I haven't ever had an issue sending and receiving except for a day which the vector.org servers were down. I hear that hosting a synapse server is a pain in the ass, but I haven't gotten around to it yet.

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  • [–] 0 points 6 months ago* (1 child)

    That should only be an issue for media though shouldn't it, since all plain text can be set up to be e2e.

    It does not matter whether you encrypt illegal content, things do not magically turn legal once they are encrypted.

    Plaintext cannot be set up to be E2EE, that is a contradiction in itself. Rooms can be either unencrypted or encrypted. If they are, messages are encrypted.

    I hear that hosting a synapse server is a pain in the ass, but I haven't gotten around to it yet.

    Indeed, it is. That's why I have replaced mine with Tuwunel, much less effort and way less resource-intensive.

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  • [–] 0 points 6 months ago (1 child)

    It does not matter whether you encrypt illegal content, things do not magically turn legal once they are encrypted.

    I wasn't suggesting it was, I was just pointing out that it wouldn't be easily provable that you were in possession of such content.

    Plaintext cannot be set up to be E2EE, that is a contradiction in itself. Rooms can be either unencrypted or encrypted. If they are, messages are encrypted.

    I feel this is a bit pedantic as I would assume that you understood that I meant text messages, unless you are saying that all forms of messages, including media like images and videos, are encrypted in e2ee rooms, in which case that is information I did not have.

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  • [–] 2 points 6 months ago*

    I was just pointing out that it wouldn’t be easily provable that you were in possession of such content.

    Yeah, but I'd rather not have anything illegal than just making it less obvious. I'd rather stick to the rules.

    unless you are saying that all forms of messages, including media like images and videos, are encrypted in e2ee rooms, in which case that is information I did not have.

    Yes, media would be encrypted as well. Metadata is not, though. Matrix leads to quite a lot of that, unfortunately, due to the way it works.

    There are usually many servers that know name and members of a chat, even though the contents are encrypted.

    EDIT: I've been deep into hosting Matrix and XMPP for a long time, I sometimes forget which things aren't obvious from a user's point of view.

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