submitted 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago) by to c/asklemmy@lemmy.ml
 

Edit - y'all are awesome! I'm gonna check out all of these - thank you!!

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A family member is moving out of country and convinced the best way to keep in touch is with WhatsApp. I really don't want to install any Meta shit on my phone.

Any recommendation for a FOSS or other alternative from a company that's less of an ethical dumpster fire?

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[–] 150 points 2 years ago (1 child)
  • [–] 30 points 2 years ago (9 children)

    As is the highest up vote, Signal. However, if you refuse to install WA (you should) and they refuse to install Signal (scold them for being dumb), a backup is to bridge WhatsApp with Matrix and use Element on your phone. Way more complicated than Signal and I still strongly recommend they use Signal.

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  • [–] 4 points 2 years ago (4 children)

    Does this work with WhatsApp groups chat?

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

    Yes, here's the supported features for the recommended bridge: https://matrix.org/ecosystem/bridges/whatsapp/

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

    This is cool, are there downsides? Like will messages be strangely formatted or anything for my contacts?

    Also, are there bridges for other apps? Signal, telegram, messenger? I'd love to have one messenger app to rule them all

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  • [–] 22 points 2 years ago (4 children)

    For my family member who moved out of country, signal's voice quality was not very good. WhatsApp's quality was better than a regular phone call, very impressive.

    Also, outside the US WhatsApp is some kind of standard the way rich Americans think iMessage is. Companies will ask her to contact them on WhatsApp, so she'll have to have it regardless of your personal involvement.

    There's also jitsi.

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  • [–] 11 points 2 years ago*

    Also, outside the US WhatsApp is some kind of standard the way rich Americans think iMessage is. Companies will ask her to contact them on WhatsApp, so she'll have to have it regardless of your personal involvement.

    That really depends on the country that the family member is moving to, and is not an absolute thing world-wide.

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  • [–] 2 points 2 years ago

    Here goes to hoping that EU massages Whatsapp third party compatibility actually works. It would be great if Signal decided to enter the program, so that I could start recommending it to friends and family as a full on replacement, while not losing the ability to communicate with those who use WhatsApp.

    I understand Signal stance, but it would honestly be better to have a mainstream alternative to Whatsapp that actually cares about privacy, rather than a niche product nobody uses

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  • [–] 17 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago) (3 children)

    Signal or XMPP are good option

    XMPP may be a bit overwhelming as you need to select a provider and a client. Doesn't require phone number.

    Signal is private and easy to use like whatsapp. Needs phone number to use.

    Telegram is cool but encryption isnt enabled by default, would like to avoid it for this. Cool for public groups.

    Edit: Teleram isnt good at all, dont use it. Look reason in the replies

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  • [–] 20 points 2 years ago* (2 children)

    Telegram's MTProto has, to my knowledge, never undergone any security audits. It's a roll-your-own-encryption, which is always dubious when you're unwilling to have it audited. I would never suggest Telegram, even for cleartext communications.

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  • [–] 14 points 2 years ago

    XMPP. Oh, wait, company based.

    • Signal if you want phone number based signups.
    • SimpleX Chat if you want to experience full privacy.
    • Threema if you want basically the same as SimpleX Chat, but want to give them money first.

    But XMPP would be the best option. Snikket is recommended for easy setup.

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  • [–] 14 points 2 years ago
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    [–] 10 points 2 years ago

    Signal. Though SimpleX is growing as a superior private messenger.

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  • [–] 9 points 2 years ago (1 child)

    Signal, Matrix/Element, Wire

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  • [+] 6 points 2 years ago* (1 child)
  • [–] 4 points 2 years ago (1 child)

    SimpleX Chat, no phone number or e-mail registration needed. Truly a privacy pioneer.

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  • [–] -5 points 2 years ago (5 children)

    I'd recommend just regular texting, but if for whatever reason you can't/don't want to the. matrix should work, it's basically foss discord.

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  • [–] 4 points 2 years ago (4 children)

    Why would you recommend texting as an alternative?

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  • [–] 3 points 2 years ago*

    Otherwise you don’t get all operators being able to read your messages, all the vulnerabilities of SS7 (so not only your operator, any random dude with experience can read your messages)

    So many advantages!

    But it is compatible with iChat that it is what really matters, really πŸ˜‚

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

    not as an alternative to Whatsapp, I mean not bothering with an alternative to texting. there is no need for something like Whatsapp because everything it does is already part of just texting normally. Whatsapp is a texting alternative, and as such is pointless.

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  • [+] -22 points 2 years ago (7 children)
  • [–] 15 points 2 years ago (5 children)
  • [+] -6 points 2 years ago (4 children)

    Comment sections and DM. Because you can and you should

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  • [–] 8 points 2 years ago (1 child)

    Lemmy isn't secure and that's OK because it has a different use case. The owner of your instance has acces to all your messages.

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  • [–] -4 points 2 years ago*

    Bruh, this is a privacy nightmare! Worse than Meta! No worse than everything! I am betrayed! I am bamboozled! I have said many things that can't see the light of day! This is blacknail! What should I do now? Where do I go? What do I use? Who do I trust? If Lemmy isn't secure than what does that mean for free speech within the rules? What does that mean for the transfer of ideas? What pressidemce does this set for the rest of the fediverse?!?!121 I must search my souls for the answer, maybe Anom I heard that they don't spy on you.

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