Is it possible to set up a signal server, or is it not completely FOSS?
this post was submitted on 17 Mar 2025
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It isn't at all. It is closed source powered by an American non-profit organization.
You can consider this organization as friendly.
They recurrently said, they would shut the gates if U.S. government/law wants them to store more than metdata (phone number+last activity date) they are storing.
So noodlejetskis comment below is wrong?
Thanks for the info BTW, I'm an avid user and proponent of Signal (best out there today eh.)
@Valmond @SrMono Most popular out there and one of the easiest to set up / easiest to convince non-tech users to switch over to. Not the best... For me, that award would go to Matrix / Element.
Threema would be second (and should be first), but many will balk at the shocking fact that they dare to ask money to contribute to their development and operation costs...
In terms of security I would go Matrix, Threema, Signal.. in terms of usability I would say Signal, Threema, Matrix.
Threema also has a Business line which helps to cover the cost, but yea.. the price went up from 1€ to 5€. Back in the days I sponsored some licenses and spilled a bunch 1€ in the club like a rich man.
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you can set up your own server for your own needs as far as I know, but you'll probably have to build your own version of the client to connect to it. there's no decentralisation.
@Valmond@lemmy.world
@SrMono@feddit.org
Very good question and one of the big critic points about signal.
It is theoretically foss, but so complicated apparently, (or parts missing?) that it seems nobody ever menaged to set it up.
So in effect it it proprietary.
And since I is lock-in there is also no incentive to start another server. That's one reason to use federated protocols.
:xmpp:
Kmail suite for mails, cloud... (Switzerland ) they have a free plan (15GO for the cloud, and the cheapest paid plan is 2e/month for 1TO (20e/year ).
Threema for discussions (Switzerland) . the application is 5e, definitv not cheap for an app, but it is a one time paiement.
Swisscows (Switzerland), mullvad Leta (Sweden) as search engine.
=> they do not use their own index system but brave or google (you can choose for mullvad)
All those options are Europeans and have strong privacy policies.
Ecosia also has a browser for Android and Windows/Mac. Just not Linux. Vivaldi is great for Linux.
Last time I read here that Tidal is American. Which is it then?
There's also the free ksuite mail/drive as a free email alternative!