Privacy

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A place to discuss privacy and freedom in the digital world.

Privacy has become a very important issue in modern society, with companies and governments constantly abusing their power, more and more people are waking up to the importance of digital privacy.

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How to persuade people around me switch to Matrix/Element? (lemmy.ml)

submitted 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago) by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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Hello fellow c/privacy members.

I'm not new to privacy related things but I had a hard time persuading my family members and friends to switch to Matrix/Element. It is a reponse to UK's Online Security Bill and Investigative Powers Act that may soon in effect.

While it is just a preperation and planning in case those actually became law, I already face resistance from them. When I ask them would they switch, their first reaction is "Why one more app?" then follows with "That's cumbersome." or "I don't want to learn a new app." and suggest something more popular like Line, Telegram or Discord. Sometimes they would "Install WhatsApp because X is on there and he/she won't install one more app just for you."

What can I do to persuade them to use a new platform? Thanks in advance.

EDIT: I think I should elebroate more of what Online Security Bill and Investigative Powers Act does[1]. As far as I understand, OSB will break E2EE by require scanning data on client device, like CSAM but much more generic. IPA requires companies to submit security funcition to the government for approval before releasing, and disable such feature upon request. Apple[2], Single[3] and WhatsApp made the announancment of exiting the UK market totally or partically if two were signed into law.

[1] https://web.archive.org/web/thenextweb.com/news/uk-investigatory-powers-act-default-surveillance-devices-privacy
[2] https://web.archive.org/web/www.forbes.com/sites/emmawoollacott/2023/07/21/apple-threatens-to-pull-facetime-and-imessage-from-the-uk
[3] https://web.archive.org/web/20230809125823/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-65301510#2023-08-09T12:57:48+00:00

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[–] [email protected] 0 points 11 months ago (1 children)

if it is an option to use different apps for daily chit chat and private matters, you may also take a look at Briar.
I say it this way because you both need* to be ~~online~~ connected** to receive the message. It is also a bit more than a messaging app, its useful for organizing group events.

* there is a workaround. they have a software that you can run on a regular computer that will hold the incoming messages until your phone becomes accessible, and the outgoing ones until the recipient becomes available.

** the app can use the internet (always through Tor), the local network (like a wifi network) and bluetooth to connect to your contacts

[–] [email protected] 0 points 11 months ago (1 children)

It would be nice to use just one app as they are the users. Not me.

And having a computer online the whole time because one might not present is quite a deal breaker.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 10 months ago

Yes, but I was telling you this option because you are concerned about laws that will outlaw encryption. If they come into effect, it could easily happen that only solutions like this will remain.