this post was submitted on 22 Jun 2025
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[–] anzo@programming.dev 2 points 3 hours ago

Signal, yes...

Or snikket (xmpp).

Or delta chat (email).

The three are good.

[–] Ulrich@feddit.org 14 points 15 hours ago (3 children)

If you join a large WhatsApp group, anyone in that group will have everyone else's phone number, and they can use that to learn far more about everyone's identities.

Does it not give away your identity when you join a Signal group?

[–] blah3166@piefed.social 29 points 14 hours ago (2 children)

Signal defaults to hiding your phone number since the release of user names: https://signal.org/blog/phone-number-privacy-usernames/

But they must still have your phone number and associate it with your username. So it would still be easy for a government organization to force Signal to give up the identities of all people who join a group.

[–] Ulrich@feddit.org 1 points 11 hours ago (1 children)

Not worried about my phone number, I'm more worried about my profile.

[–] blah3166@piefed.social 0 points 6 hours ago (1 children)

Your profile, like everything else on Signal, is also end-to-end encrypted. Your name and profile picture do get shared with whoever you chat with, groups or individuals. If you don't want your name and profile picture shared with randos, either don't set them or don't chat with randos.

[–] Ulrich@feddit.org 1 points 5 hours ago

like everything else on Signal, is also end-to-end encrypted

That's fine if one of those ends isn't a public activism group.

If you don't want your name and profile picture shared with randos, either don't set them

I use Signal to talk to people in real life, both personally and professionally. I don't want to message them from some sort of unidentifiable alias.

or don't chat with randos.

That was my point, thank you.

[–] merde@sh.itjust.works 18 points 14 hours ago (1 children)

settings > privacy > phone number > who can see my number > nobody

👍

[–] Ulrich@feddit.org 2 points 11 hours ago* (last edited 11 hours ago) (2 children)

Not worried about my phone number so much as my legal name...

[–] dracs@programming.dev 8 points 9 hours ago (1 children)

No requirement to have your legal name in Signal. Though, I do wish it was possible to set a different name for group chats though. Happy to use my real name with friends and family, but would prefer an alias for group chats.

[–] Ulrich@feddit.org 1 points 5 hours ago

Happy to use my real name with friends and family, but would prefer an alias for group chats.

Exactly.

[–] MagicShel@lemmy.zip 4 points 10 hours ago

Maybe I'm just weird, but basically nothing I do in an online capacity traces back to my IRL identity. (I do maintain a linked in for professional purposes.)

[–] Lost_My_Mind@lemmy.world 10 points 14 hours ago

I haven't used the groups, but I know you CAN opt to use usernames now.

[–] ParetoOptimalDev@lemmy.today 0 points 11 hours ago (2 children)
[–] Venus_Ziegenfalle@feddit.org 6 points 5 hours ago

Let's stay in touch! I'm on Signal. Just text me on Telegram. I've got Whatsapp with ads. I'm literally on Snapchat. You can probably find me on Kik. Dude text me on Matrix. It's a Wechat feature. I'm on Simplex. You can text me on Simplex. You can go to Simplex and text me. Log onto Simplex right now. Go to Simplex. Dive into Simplex. You can Simplex me. I'm on Simplex. Simplex has it for you. Simplex has it for you.

[–] Ulrich@feddit.org 5 points 5 hours ago

Simplex does not give you anymore security. It does however, provide anonymity.