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I use telegram at the moment, but is there anything out there that's better? Please share

I use telegram at the moment, but is there anything out there that's better? Please share

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[–] [deleted] • 5 pts

Even the decentralized ones probably have issues.

They absolutely do. Telegram, for example, is "decentralized" but every server has to call home to telegram HQ--honeypot.

Element, same story.

If you truly care about private messaging

  1. If you're using an iphone, give up now. There is no "secure messaging" solution. Can't handle that? Then you care more for convenience than privacy.
  2. Create a PGP private/public keypair
  3. Ge the person you want to communicate with to create their own PGP private/public keypair
  4. Share your public key with your friend, they shared their public with you
  5. Encrypt messages to your friend using THEIR public key, your friend will use YOUR public key to encrpyt reponses back to you.
  6. Communicate over literally any medium (eg. email, sms, etc.)

Here's a truly secure SMS app you can use which automates the PGP process for you, over SMS: . (Get your friend to install, then communicate via phone number). This will work forever, until they decomission SMS infrastructure (which will likely never happen)

[–] • 0 pt

Telegram isn't decentralized. It has multiple servers that handle the traffic - it's just not one data center in one country doing it all.

[–] [deleted] • 0 pt

Telegram isn't decentralized. It has multiple servers that handle the traffic

FYI, that is the exact definition of "decentralized". This is part of the confusion people have. The term "decentralized" is thrown around, but the definition includes any service that has more than one node serving content.

"Fully distributed" is what most of us are envisioning when we hear the former term. A fully distributed system is one wherein every node is both the client and the server. (eg. p2p)

All major comms platforms have an SPF wherein all data is ultimately routed back through a central authority.

The platforms which do not suffer this issue are demonized, often made illegal by governments.

[–] • 0 pt

If you look at it like that, yes. It’s easier to use the former terms in that a central authority has control over all nodes. People understand that.