this post was submitted on 05 Mar 2025
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[–] Nanook@lemm.ee 11 points 14 hours ago* (last edited 14 hours ago) (5 children)

Why? Because the Dutch national broadcasters keep plugging it as an alternative to Whatsapp.

Aside... Two apps keep getting mentioned as alternatives, Signal and Element/Matrix, but in MHRO both are not viable as replacements.

Signal: still a US app, CIA funded, provides their encryption backbone to Whatsapp, recommended by governments & FBI. Matrix/Element: Developed in Israel, with ties to IDF, preferred by NATO (NI2CE)

[–] asdfasdfasdf@lemmy.world 1 points 2 hours ago* (last edited 2 hours ago)

IDGAF who funds it or who develops it.

  • E2E encrypted
  • security review by independent party I trust which says there are no holes or bugs
  • open source

Those three things are all that matters.

[–] easily3667@lemmus.org 1 points 3 hours ago

Other than people you don't like living in the world here with us, do you have any proof of anything actually nefarious done by signal or matrix?

[–] sugar_in_your_tea@sh.itjust.works 1 points 4 hours ago (2 children)

Signal: still a US app, CIA funded

Honestly, this gives me more confidence in it. The CIA is very interested in keeping its people safe, so if they're using it, its in their interest to ensure it's secure. If they do put in a backdoor, I happen to be a US citizen so I'm unlikely to be a target since the CIA is all about surveillance on outsiders (FBI is domestic). FBI and Signal rarely agree, but they agree that Signal is great, so I think that's a pretty strong endorsement.

Add to that Edward Snowden recommends it, and he's certainly an enemy of both the CIA and the FBI at this point.

[–] easily3667@lemmus.org 2 points 3 hours ago

If nobody used CIA funded security tools, we wouldn't have security tools

[–] arotrios@lemmy.world 1 points 2 hours ago* (last edited 2 hours ago) (1 children)

I happen to be a US citizen so I’m unlikely to be a target since the CIA is all about surveillance on outsiders (FBI is domestic)

All of that's off the table now with Trump in power. It's more than likely the CIA will be deployed against domestic targets.

I think that's unlikely, but even assuming it is, if spooks use a security/privacy tool, it's probably pretty good.

[–] TomAwsm@lemmy.world 2 points 5 hours ago

Just FYI:

If you want to say "both are not", you can instead use "neither".

[–] Yxf@lemm.ee 2 points 12 hours ago (1 children)

Signal is funded by the CIA now ? And I thought Element is in the UK?

[–] BuckenBerry@lemmy.world 3 points 10 hours ago* (last edited 10 hours ago) (2 children)

Signal does seem to have some ties to the CIA

There seems to be a completely different Israeli company called matrix. I can't find any link between the two.

[–] easily3667@lemmus.org 1 points 3 hours ago

It's old and convoluted, something like a precursor to element got funding from Israel or something

[–] Yxf@lemm.ee 1 points 7 hours ago

Maybe OP means that the Matrix protocol is created by an Israeli company.

[–] amelore@slrpnk.net 5 points 15 hours ago (2 children)

I guess this means we're not switching to RCS then?

Nope.

If I can implement my own RCS client, then I'll consider it.

[–] LodeMike@lemmy.today 10 points 15 hours ago

RCS is not an open standard

[–] tmxyz@lemmy.dbzer0.com 18 points 1 day ago

A lot of VPN servers in Netherlands may have something to do with it.....

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