this post was submitted on 11 May 2025
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Privacy

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I remember a time when visiting a website that opens a javacript dialog box asking for your name so the message "hi " could be displayed was baulked at.

Why does signal want a phone number to register? Is there a better alternative?

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[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (32 children)

Jami.net

Ignore the comment saying signal is "end to end encrypted" "private" etc They are simply stuck in a delusional state where they try to convince themselves that signal is the best option so they can continue using it. Nothing is private if it isn't fully libre because you never know what the proprietary code is doing. The signal protocol itself has its source code released, and the encryption and security code is publicly available, but the signal Foundation has stated that it uses both free code and proprietary code. Their reason is UI, but it's hard to make sure whatever proprietary code is being used for because you simply can't see it. As GNU puts it: "You're walking in a pitch black cave". Jami is fully libre and is a GNU project. You don't even need any phone number!

[–] [email protected] 0 points 1 month ago (12 children)

You should have visited Signal's github page first, I dunno. Before talking. Made up a lot of stuff.

They do have proprietary code for that crypto wallet they have there, well hidden, and for, eh, phone number registration, but other than that module it's all released, I think.

The server and the client applications are FOSS. You can host it for yourself, patching out the domain names and registration parts the way you like it more.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 month ago (2 children)

I didn't actually know the server code was published. It'd be cool if the client allowed multiple servers so you could talk to people on the "normal" master while also thing a private instance

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 month ago (1 children)

I think choosing a server, like in some ICQ clients, is not a complex modification.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 month ago (1 children)

They had it implemented but discarded it out of stupid centralization ideology. Moxie said it on a Chaos communication Congress presentation he held but which he didn't wanted to be recorded, as the stuff he said was stupid and wrong.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 month ago

Well, some of the stuff they wrote, not said, wasn't stupid and wrong.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

This is why escaping WhatsApp and Discord, anti-libre software, is most important part.

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