How to stay away from Google and other evil tech giants: Difference between revisions

→‎Instant Messaging: Add Snikket. Also give transparent disclosure on Signal issues.
(→‎Instant Messaging: Add Snikket. Also give transparent disclosure on Signal issues.)
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* '''[https://f-droid.org/packages/org.smssecure.smssecure/ Silence]''' ('''Overall Tip''') is a mobile app for SMS/MMS texting. In their own words - which I wholeheartedly agree with - it is easy, reliable, private, safe and <abbr title="essentially the same as free libre software, but developers who call their software open and not free usually care more about the practicality than the ethics of freedom">open source</abbr>. From silence to silence encryption works flawlessly - which is why I think everyone should use it. Otherwise at least the local storage of received and sent messages is encrypted.
* '''[https://f-droid.org/packages/org.smssecure.smssecure/ Silence]''' ('''Overall Tip''') is a mobile app for SMS/MMS texting. In their own words - which I wholeheartedly agree with - it is easy, reliable, private, safe and <abbr title="essentially the same as free libre software, but developers who call their software open and not free usually care more about the practicality than the ethics of freedom">open source</abbr>. From silence to silence encryption works flawlessly - which is why I think everyone should use it. Otherwise at least the local storage of received and sent messages is encrypted.
* '''[https://www.signal.org/ Signal]''' is the perfect chat app to move to from Whatsapp. It works very similarly and is secure and private by default. I recommend downloading it from their site, not from Google Play, even though they recommend the opposite.
* '''[https://snikket.org/ Snikket]''' is the most open free-world option in this section. It implements a secure mobile client that conforms to the XMPP standard. Snikket is distributed as free software in the [https://f-droid.org/en/packages/org.snikket.android/ F-Droid repository]. It is an open system that interoperates with other XMPP services. Snikket is one of the most user-friendly XMPP clients out there. It’s only deployed on iOS & Android, but there are other XMPP apps for the desktop such as Profanity (for advanced users).
* '''[https://www.signal.org/ Signal]''' is a marginal upgrade from Whatsapp but has [https://github.com/privacytools/privacytools.io/issues/779 signficant pitfalls and ethical issues]. It works very similarly and is secure and private by default, apart from requiring all users to obtain mobile phone service and to share their mobile phone number. Non-mobile phone subscribers are excluded from Signal’s Amazon-hosted centralized service. It’s advisable to download it from their site, not from Google Play, even though Signal Messenger LLC recommends the opposite.


* Notable mentions: '''[https://f-droid.org/packages/org.kontalk Kontalk]''', '''[https://f-droid.org/packages/eu.siacs.conversations/ Conversations]''', '''[https://f-droid.org/en/packages/org.briarproject.briar.android Briar]'''
* Notable mentions: '''[https://f-droid.org/packages/org.kontalk Kontalk]''', '''[https://f-droid.org/packages/eu.siacs.conversations/ Conversations]''', '''[https://f-droid.org/en/packages/org.briarproject.briar.android Briar]'''
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