Choosing an open messenger client: Alternatives to WhatsApp | Opensource.com

[grahamperrin]

@infosechandbook

… An endless stream of instant messengers …

Not recent, but relevant:

Choosing an open messenger client: Alternatives to WhatsApp | Opensource.com

Keep in touch with far-flung family, friends, and colleagues without sacrificing your privacy.

[anon76034565]

We discussed some issues regarding Signal in my post:

How to communicate securely and privately using a messaging app? What about BCM Messenger?

I would like to open a discussion, one that is very important for any privacy minded individual, that is, how to communicate securely and privately using a messaging app and specifically in the review of the messenger below. I do understand that on Privacytools there is a list of messaging apps to choose from depending upon whether you want a decentralized, p2p or centralized messenger. However, doing my own research on the matter I have come to the conclusion, one that is also shared by Secure…

I would use Signal if the following conditions were met:

1. registration via email or anonymous registration such as in TwinMe
2. anonymous ID (but personalized alias)
3. contacts and account creation date are not transferred to the Singal server (opt-out option or better, not even a requirement)
4. no biometrics

This is the minimum requirement for me. Also more transparency regarding location of their servers and ideally they would switch to a p2p system like Briar/Tox/Jami.

[a553d43c-f7fa-483a-8 (John Long Silver)]

@anon76034565

no biometrics

Which biometrics they collect?

[anon76034565]

Screen Lock

[infosechandbook ((formerly InfoSec Handbook))]

@anon76034565

I would use Signal if the following conditions were met:

1. registration via email or anonymous registration such as in TwinMe
2. anonymous ID (but personalized alias)
3. contacts and account creation date are not transferred to the Singal server (opt-out option or better, not even a requirement)
4. no biometrics

1. You can register an arbitrary and anonymous phone number.
2. See 1)
3. Contacts aren’t transfered to Signal but phone numbers. If you don’t allow Signal to access your phone book, then Signal still works perfectly.
4. Signal doesn’t collect any biometrics but allows users to unlock Signal locally using the normal unlock procedure of the phone. For instance, you can also use the PIN of your phone to unlock Signal.

[crossroads]

Signal respects your privacy. I don’t know any other messenger that collects less metadata than Signal. Maybe only Briar (or some other p2p services, but if traffic isn’t routed via Tor or smth, your ISP will collect way more metadata)

Using phone number as identifier might be an issue if anonymity is what you’re looking for. But privacy of your conversations won’t be affected

[akhiljose]

hi,
i’m trying to access bcm messenger on android phone. its app is not listed in play store(maybe country specific). somehow i manged to download an apk from internet and installed in my phone.
No when i try to create an account. it says “cannot connect to server”. I tried accessing bcm on web. the site is not reachable. do you know why is this?

[Mikaela (Mikaela Suomalainen)]

Welcome to the forum

As per How to communicate securely and privately using a messaging app? What about BCM Messenger? BCM has been discontinued.

[anon76034565]

BCM as far as I understand from their in-app message have shutdown their service, that’s why you can’t connect to their service.

Best to switch to Session Messenger which is really connected to blockchain, opensource and fully encrypted

Session | Send Messages, Not Metadata. | Private Messenger

[a553d43c-f7fa-483a-8 (John Long Silver)]

The blockchain part is not really connected to the IM, you can receive crypto by hosting nodes which helps the Session’s traffic to be faster.

[danarel]

Honestly, at this point “blockchain” is just a buzzword to make everyone think it’s more secure.

Generally speaking, if I read blockchain in a messengers description I just move along.

[a553d43c-f7fa-483a-8 (John Long Silver)]

I don’t think it’s poorly implemented in Session, though, that works as an incentive for people to run nodes, and I think it’s working since the project doesn’t have more than 3 or 4 months of being alive and there are like 1500-2000 nodes.

BCM did use a bad implementation of the word “blockchain” since the only thing they did with it was a built-in wallet.

[anon76034565]

Blockchain has been hyped, but if a messenger uses that infastructure, then it is a great alternative to p2p, as blockchain nodes are distributed and no centralized infastructure is used

[anon76034565]

Agree totally, BCM was on the right track but implementation was horrible which is why it failed.

Session works by routing messages through the nodes, which are distributed. Node holders are incentivised by staking rewards to keep the entire project running.

It’s a great project, a real alternative to p2p messengers

[a553d43c-f7fa-483a-8 (John Long Silver)]

Yes, I think they are currently using one hop only but when they get to a more stable version they will use three, I may be wrong though, I read that somewhere and it was some time ago and cannot even remember where I read it.

I think it even has some benefits over P2P unless it’s something really illegal and dangerous which you may be better doing over Briar, although I don’t know how well it handles metadata compared to Session, or even how the later handles it.

[grahamperrin]

Not an alternative to WhatsApp, but this is open:

D-Chat

Lynn / D-Chat

• extension for Firefox

Web interface:

• https://losnappas.gitlab.io/d-chat/#/