Mastodawn

S 🌱 L V I Λ Jan 21

By popular demand, a single post to boost global switch day across multiple platforms on February 1st 2025. 

For those who can no longer get behind Musk or Meta's new policies and feel like switching (e.g. from #Whatsapp to #Signal, from #Instagram to #Pixelfed or from #X to #Mastodon) I made you some graphics to use freely in communicating with your contacts.

Let’s lead by example 🙂

Karmalakas Jan 21

@sylv_a I wish #Signal was working properly. Lots of people (I'm one of them) complain about not getting any notifications for messages or even calls. It's been happening for years and Signal devs don't really care it seems 😞

@karmalakas @sylv_a #Signal not working is a blessing in disguise. Ppl should be avoiding Signal:

https://github.com/privacytools/privacytools.io/issues/779

https://gist.github.com/hackermondev/45a3cdfa52246f1d1201c1e8cdef6117

❌ Software Removal | Signal · Issue #779 · privacytools/privacytools.io

Problem with Signal Signal has copious privacy issues making it unfit for privacytools.io endorsement. Users are forced to supply a phone number to Signal (https://github.com/privacytoolsIO/privacy...

GitHub

Karmalakas Jan 21

@bojkotiMalbona @sylv_a what are the alternatives so it would be easy to use and reliable? My parents are too old to learn new stuff

bojkotiMalbona Jan 21

@karmalakas @sylv_a I’ve put the old folks I need to reach on #Snikket. It uses decentralised open standards ( #XMPP #omemo).

Many xmpp apps are glitchy but Snikket is functional enough. I think one of my contacts has problems getting notifications on their iPhone w/Snikket. But it’s tolerable.

Karmalakas Jan 21

@bojkotiMalbona @sylv_a need to see if I'll manage to host it myself 🤔

bojkotiMalbona Jan 21

@karmalakas
That’s certainly an option. You can run your own xmpp server or use an existing one.

There is also a ½-way option: Snikket provides managed hosts. You get a dashboard on a v/m and give out invites and manage the users, but Snikket manages the software. That was gratis when Snikket first started, but they might be charging for that now.

Karmalakas Jan 21

@bojkotiMalbona @sylv_a it says something like $6/mo - didn't dig in too deep for now

@bojkotiMalbona @karmalakas @sylv_a your friend should try #Monal. Notifications work like a charm just the way you'd want them to (even for groups/channels not hosted on your snikket server).

@karmalakas What do you want to "learn" about a messenger? You basically need one button to send the message. Maybe two for sending pictures. It's not that complicated.

Karmalakas Jan 22

@chebra when you're 70, even that might be complicated. Especially sending pictures or videos. I really don't want to explain here how everyone is different with different experiences 🤷‍♂️

@karmalakas but it's the same like on facebook, so how do they do that?

Karmalakas Jan 22

@chebra they don't. They use Signal now. Messenger is too complicated (and dangerous, especially with scams and ads)

@karmalakas I switched my technically challenged mom to Matrix and Jitsi about one year ago, no problems.

contrapunctus ✊🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️Jan 24

@karmalakas @bojkotiMalbona @sylv_a

https://quicksy.im/ (available on both Android and iOS) if you want phone number based registration and contact discovery (like #Signal #Telegram and #WhatsApp). Gratis. My go-to for onboarding people to #XMPP.

https://snikket.org/ if you can self-host (or pay for hosting) a private server with invitation-based onboarding and clients on all major platforms.

For more options see https://contrapunctus.codeberg.page/the-quick-and-easy-guide-to-xmpp.html

Quicksy

A spin-off of the popular Jabber/XMPP client Conversations with automatic contact discovery. Sign up with your phone number and Quicksy will automatically—based on the phone numbers in your address book—suggest possible contacts to you.

Quicksy

bojkotiMalbona Jan 24

@contrapunctus @karmalakas
It’s worth noting that the Snikket app can apparently be used with any XMPP account. I’ve not tested that but it looks like it should work.
@sylv_a

@bojkotiMalbona @karmalakas @sylv_a That Gist affects signal just as it does every other application using CF as a CDN (lots of fediverse servers do!) stop fearmongering. it's gross. The linked GH issue is pretty bad too but lays out some semblance of argument at least. Think about what you post.

bojkotiMalbona Jan 22

@amy
It’s disgusting to hear someone in the fedi say that #Cloudflare is okay for every application to use. Fedi folks should know better. Please inform yourself about what CF is and the harms of it. Start here:
* https://git.disroot.org/cyberMonk/liberethos_paradigm/src/branch/master/rap_sheets/cloudflare.md
* https://thefreeworld.noblogs.org/post/2024/03/20/comparison-of-the-human-disempowerment-severity-of-3-walled-gardens-facebook-google-and-cloudflare/
* https://thefreeworld.noblogs.org/post/2024/03/18/cloudflare-has-created-the-largest-most-rigidly-exclusive-walled-garden-in-the-world/

Signal’s use of Cloudflare is a reckless move even before the revelations of the recent GH single issue. CF sees around 50% of everyone’s web traffic. Not just metadata. Payloads, like banking transactions. It is absolutely reckless to endorse the idea of a secure comms app using CF for anything, not even taking into account the philosophical contradiction of walled gardens and the decentralised free world.

(edit) ah, I see you are a CF user -- who taints the fedi with that centralised walled garden. Please try to grasp the contradiction.

@karmalakas @sylv_a

liberethos_paradigm/rap_sheets/cloudflare.md at master

liberethos_paradigm - Information and tools to facilitate ethical consumption of goods and services.

Disroot Forgejo: Brace yourself, merge conflicts ahead.

@bojkotiMalbona @karmalakas @sylv_a I’d rather not be doxxed and ddosed 👍

Let me know when there’s a FOSS alternative to their products and I might consider it

Slightly ironic how in your “CF bad and everyone who uses it bad” idea, you ignore that Signal is still significantly better than e.g WhatsApp

People don’t need the perfect solution, they need the best solution for them. Signal is that.

bojkotiMalbona Jan 22

@amy
Signal is not that. Signal is exclusive garbage, limited to people willing to subscribe to mobile phone service & then register their national ID to a mobile phone number (depending on country), then to register that number to an account held by a centralized custodian. To speak of “perfection” is to not grasp the long list of issues many of which are deeply rooted in an absence of fundamental digital rights & sovereignty principles. These are not minor flaws/oversights. It was created w/zero contempt for fiefdoms of US tech giants and designed w/out a basic view of the mass surveillance infrastructure. It’s no different than saying “Whatsapp is a bit imperfect”. We are so far from perfect when speaking of whatsapp/signal¹ that it make no sense to even bring up /perfection/.

¹FYI, Facebook hired OpenWhisperSystems to design whatsapp to have the same implementation as Signal.

Dr. Heather Etchevers Jan 25

@bojkotiMalbona @amy @karmalakas Would you tell me more? If the options are (a) keep using the WhatsApp groups and discussions, aware that it's owned by Meta, or (b) convince members of some of them to change to Signal, because the change will be easy for them and it doesn't belong to Meta, why not push for the latter?

bojkotiMalbona Jan 26

@Etche_homo
They’re both garbage. And both exclusive. Switch them to #Snikket.
@amy @karmalakas