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@sammi @joelanman @jenkinse @ambiguous_yelp Signal is just excellent for most people's personal needs and threat models. It has mature functionality on par with insecure/non-private alternatives, and doesn't give anything to surveillance capitalists.
If you're doing subversive or illegal things, obviously use disappearing messages regardless of if you have/need anonymity. If you do need to be anonymous to your contacts, sign up with a burner number.
The motivation for something stronger is normalizing and giving cover to people who do have needs beyond typical. Which is a very good thing in an increasingly fascist world.
@dalias @sammi@libranet.de @joelanman @ambiguous_yelp
Being merely sufficient for most people's threat models is one thing, but resisting the same forces of enshittification we see with other centralized platforms is another thing.
Signal doesn't currently give anything to surveillance capitalists as far as we know, but this assessment is based more on vibes and marketing claims then Signal's technical merit, which is problematic.
@dalias @sammi@libranet.de @joelanman @ambiguous_yelp
The need to sign up with a burner phone and burner number just for basic anonymity is an example of a barrier to privacy which shouldn't exist. Many people can't afford even one phone plan, having to pay for a second phone and second phone plan puts basic privacy out of reach. Privacy shouldn't be a privelege for the rich. By contrast platforms like Matrix, Delta Chat, and SimpleX do much better in this aspect (tho SimpleX leadership is questionable)
@jenkinse @dalias @joelanman @ambiguous_yelp The phone number thing is my only issue with Signal (besides centralization, but that's not a very big deal), & it's a very big issue. I have no way of having a dummy account to give to people I don't trust.
@jackemled @jenkinse @joelanman @ambiguous_yelp Folks in less repressive countries can just buy burners, but in lots of places you can't get a SIM without ID.