Disclaimer: I'm not saying that Vanishing Messages are bad, or wrong. Nor am I saying that app developer, like the Wire or Element teams, ought to be criticised for adding them. There may be uses for them that I haven't considered, such as one given by @mensrea upthread.
What I am saying is they do not and cannot do what a lot of people concerned about their message privacy seem to think they can do. So apps developers ought *not* to be criticised for not adding them.
I've been seeing a few requests for Vanishing Message (or "self-destructing messages") for the fediverse. So I think it's important to say this, as simply and clearly as possible...
Vanishing Messages are Privacy Theatre:
What's Privacy Theatre? Like Security Theatre for privacy:
https://flameeyes.blog/2014/07/22/privacy-theatre/
Why do I say that Vanishing Messages are Privacy Theatre?
Let's unpack this a bit...
(1/?)
Strypey