TBH this is why I've never used Telegram.

Perceptions matter.

And this frustrates me to no end.

Yeah, I get it, you don't want to associate with bigoted people. But I wish people would take a step back for a minute and think. If everyone runs away the moment conservatives take interest in something, that means conservatives get an undue amount of power over you.

If we all largely ignore trolls, bigots, and bullies, they'll lose their power. I'm not saying to be tolerant of intolerance, I'm saying we shouldn't let them have power over us. Content moderation should take care of intolerance where it makes sense. On platforms like Signal, this means accepting that privacy means protection for both you and things you dislike. Yes, the platform will be used to arrange drug deals, facilitate pedophiles, and enable Nazis to communicate, but it also protects whistle blowers, people living under repressive regimes, and LGBT communities. Privacy means privacy, and that has value in itself.

Stop throwing babies out with the bathwater.

people who react like that are giving them power

Sure, but that was before almost every app was a Nazi app.

It's not just perception, it's mindless tribalism and it's a form of bigotry in itself. It's no better than doing things to "own the libs" or whatever.

And the irony, some express this attitude on lemmy, which unlike signal is an actual platform, not a chat app, and with tankie roots to top it off.

It is what it is, I suppose.