Signal is open source but it’s hosted centrally. So you’re trusting their server.
Matrix is a protocol it’s not hosted anywhere. But the primary developer and host instance now called Element and its server implementation synapse. Tho I’ve come to distrust Matrix, the metadata leaking is one thing but then combine that with the fact that .org is basically the default server and you almost have to federate with it. Matrix’s origin is Israel’s intelligence community, initially started by Amdocs, a spyware graphite-like company known for creating backdoors, and then they gave it to a UK group that formed a company, then crowd funded it while they pretended like Amdocs wasn’t caught in multiple global spyware scandals already. The project’s design is awful from a ‘privacy’ perspective, with the design specifically allowing third-parties to silently ‘intercept’ users’ data–all whilst still being ‘E2EE’. It’s a feature. That’s the amusing thing about its absolutely shit design, but regardless of design choices, encryption has always been a lagging component of the program. I will say that Matrix does not have a good security track record for E2EE and all of the clients use their software to do it. Plus, the apps all sucked last I used them, Element was the best and it was still buggy as all hell, and the Linux app is just an electron wrapper, and it was too hard to use for most of my “normal” friends (I agree, they should get good, but they do not get good, what should I do hold 'em at gunpoint and install Fedora, my options are limited). And the rooms had such a bad CP spam problem they stopped them from being publically searchable, you (now still?) have to know the room’s addr to join. Even still, with that CP problem, it becomes hard to reccomend family/friends to make an account.
The cynic might observe that the whole thing was proposed with foresight as to create a compromised leader ready to be adopted by organizations that felt they needed a higher degree of security. Matrix is a good solution, or so government bureaucrats are told.
Let Tel Aviv inside.
If that’s a dealbreaker, you should probably use something security-oriented like Signal.
(requiring phone numbers is also not my favorite, and the single point of failure is not the best either)
If you want privacy SimpleX seems like better option than Matrix.
Signal is open source but it’s hosted centrally. So you’re trusting their server.
Matrix is a protocol it’s not hosted anywhere. But the primary developer and host instance now called Element and its server implementation synapse. Tho I’ve come to distrust Matrix, the metadata leaking is one thing but then combine that with the fact that .org is basically the default server and you almost have to federate with it. Matrix’s origin is Israel’s intelligence community, initially started by Amdocs, a spyware graphite-like company known for creating backdoors, and then they gave it to a UK group that formed a company, then crowd funded it while they pretended like Amdocs wasn’t caught in multiple global spyware scandals already. The project’s design is awful from a ‘privacy’ perspective, with the design specifically allowing third-parties to silently ‘intercept’ users’ data–all whilst still being ‘E2EE’. It’s a feature. That’s the amusing thing about its absolutely shit design, but regardless of design choices, encryption has always been a lagging component of the program. I will say that Matrix does not have a good security track record for E2EE and all of the clients use their software to do it. Plus, the apps all sucked last I used them, Element was the best and it was still buggy as all hell, and the Linux app is just an electron wrapper, and it was too hard to use for most of my “normal” friends (I agree, they should get good, but they do not get good, what should I do hold 'em at gunpoint and install Fedora, my options are limited). And the rooms had such a bad CP spam problem they stopped them from being publically searchable, you (now still?) have to know the room’s addr to join. Even still, with that CP problem, it becomes hard to reccomend family/friends to make an account.
The cynic might observe that the whole thing was proposed with foresight as to create a compromised leader ready to be adopted by organizations that felt they needed a higher degree of security. Matrix is a good solution, or so government bureaucrats are told.
Let Tel Aviv inside.
If that’s a dealbreaker, you should probably use something security-oriented like Signal. (requiring phone numbers is also not my favorite, and the single point of failure is not the best either)
If you want privacy SimpleX seems like better option than Matrix.