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What are your opinions on Matrix? (lemmy.world)
submitted 3 years ago by to c/privacyguides@lemmy.one
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I was sold on Matrix as a viable alternative to Discord but recently read this article which made it look not so good.

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[–] 0 points 3 years ago* (1 child)

Meh, I use it. I'll take it over Discord or Telegram any day. But I don't use it for anything that may be sensitive or anything involving IRL people.

It's leaky. I remember all media were uploaded unencrypted and available over https, I don't know if it is still like that. Lots and lots of metadata out in the open. To be searchable you have to give your phone number to a centralized service. The protocol is overly complex, all messages live on all servers of everyone involved in the conversation, lots of duplication, but ActivityPub is like that too and we are on Lemmy...

If I set my own stuff up, I prefer XMPP, and increasingly Simplex. If some project uses matrix, I have an account and will talk to them there.

Overall I'm not a fan, but I don't outright hate it.

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  • [–] 0 points 3 years ago* (last edited 3 years ago) (1 child)

    You don't have to give them your phone number to be searchable, just use your matrix ID

    Files in encrypted rooms are encrypted

    Your not wrong about the metadata but xmpp leaks the same amount it just doesn't goto every server that has a user in the room

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  • [–] 0 points 3 years ago (2 children)

    No, to be searchable by your friends you have to attach your matrix ID to your phone number and upload it to an identity server, which anyone can run of course but which is useless unless its the new vector identity server. It's a central database of verified matrix IDs.

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  • [–] 1 point 3 years ago (1 child)

    you have to attach your matrix ID to your phone number

    Yes, this is FUD, it's not necessary, and entirely opt-in. Also you don't even need to connect to the identity server.

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  • [–] 0 points 3 years ago (1 child)

    Yeah, you don't have to. But to be able to easily prove you are who you are to IRL people you will. And the decision tells you something about the product and protocol design.

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