Fair point and good call out!

I always assume that we have the sense to double check any recommends.

On a related note, I believe that due to the nature of FOSS and it being “borderless” that those alternatives should also be relevant.

Good luck!

I found that once I plainly and simply explained it to those I want to stay in touch with and stated that this will be the easiest/fastest/only way to reach me, a lot of my connections actually adopted Signal. Once they realized that it’s just “whatsapp but more private and secure” more of their connections started to adopt it etc.

I did notice that for most of my friends they convince themselves that they can’t leave other platforms without loosing their connections, and end up keeping their accounts there in addition to Signal - but I’m living proof that it’s not that hard.

I’m a big proponent of “protocols not platforms” and the above is a great example of why this is the future we need to strive for. FOSS protocols that are immutable, secure and private (as needed).

Hypothetical: If, for example, Signal and Whatsapp were built on the same protocol - you could move to Signal without loosing your contacts/not being reachable etc. Whatsapp would also likely be less shitty because it would’ve been built on a strong protocol too.

All kidding aside from the other comments, Telegram is not secure or private. It’s not E2EE by default and getting it enabled is per-chat and convoluted. Frankly, I wouldn’t even trust it with cat pics I send to the bros let alone private messages… not to be fear mongering but do yourself a favor and get off Telegram.

Signal, despite some criticism that it’s “Not private enough etc.”, strikes a balance between usability, privacy and security. It’s also miles better than Telegram on all fronts.

A big issue we have in the privacy community is that it’s easy to have an “all or nothing mindset”. Even small steps in the right direction can be hugely beneficial. So, Signal is great. Use Signal.

All kidding aside from the other comments, Telegram is not secure or private. It’s not E2EE by default and getting it enabled is per-chat and convoluted. Frankly, I wouldn’t even trust it with cat pics I send to the bros let alone private messages… not to be fear mongering but do yourself a favor and get off Telegram.

Signal, despite some criticism that it’s “Not private enough etc.”, strikes a balance between usability, privacy and security. It’s also miles better than Telegram on all fronts.

A big issue we have in the privacy community is that it’s easy to have an “all or nothing mindset”. Even small steps in the right direction can be hugely beneficial. So, Signal is great. Use Signal.

I get the desire to post “simple” answers like this. And while some of the recommends do make sense… I believe the lists should be better researched. A few other comments also pointed out some of the issues already.

I’ve noticed with a lot of these lists that worse/unreasonable/less private/less secure/not even European or FOSS are being recommended as alternatives and I think they do more harm than good for people that might need genuine help making this process more simple. They also tend to miss a lot of excellent alternatives.

For what it’s worth, these lists oversimplify and can’t take into account individual needs, so own research is always necessary IMO.

For me, it’s paramount that the software we use is secure and privacy respecting / transparent. A great resource for good recommendations is: privacyguides.org .

FREENOW is also pretty good, links with actual taxis too, especially in Germany.