A few things #deltachat apps are doing positively different from #Signal apps - easiest onboarding ever; not depending on phone numbers or other private data - support for multiple chat profiles/identities - decentralized servers, not depending on US-based GAFAM etc. - migration from one app/platform to any other - easy multi-device support for any chat profile - developers have chances to get their PRs merged :) - mini-apps support via
webxdc - web apps shared in a chat
no logins, no coins, no platforms πŸŽ‰
 anything missing?
On the occasion of SimpleX and Session getting cryptocoin-donations/funding ... we won't hide that most delta contributors are pretty skeptical of cryptocoin-circles. Exhibit 1: #Webxdc apps - mini apps that anyone can whip up -- and the declared motto still on the
webxdc - web apps shared in a chat
no logins, no coins, no platforms πŸŽ‰
 web page since inception mid 2022: No logins, no coins, no platforms ... and this year, January 23rd, we added "no billionaires" to the growing list of things deserving a "no" :)
Delta Chat: Replacing billionairish platforms with ZIP files
How can we evolve and deploy web apps without allowing developers or operators to become a β€œbillionaire in the middle”? There are many ways to ...
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Well, maybe we need to be more clear what we are trying to do: #deltachat apps are a cross-platform private messenger suite, that aims to provide a consistent UX/UI for users with lots of experience using WhatsApp and Signal. Telegram has good fast UX but is hardly a private messenger (it has a central cleartext database of everyone and everything). Matrix and XMPP are well-esteemed fellows in federated messaging, but so far didn't grow a WA/Signal-level cross-platform messaging UX. YMMV
For those who used all three of Whatsapp, Signal and Delta Chat in multi-device mode: Which messenger provides the best multi-device setup and handling for users (UX)? (question spans setting up a second/linked device, as well as migrating to new device, as well as quality of multi-device synchronizing/bugfree-ness -- all subjectively weighted by each voter according to their subjective experiences)
Signal just released a "poll" feature with great fanfare, while all #deltachat apps already integrated a full suite of chat-shared apps, checklists, polls, shopping lists, calendar, editor + tons of games. Better, anyone can create new apps, eg as github/codeberg forks from existing apps, and post it to their chats for instant deployment. No need to ask for permission, register an account, and no hosting or DNS: actually "server-less" and fully end-to-end encrypted :)
webxdc apps
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Any data that is collected on servers will eventually leak or be abused otherwise. By design, no one can enumerate #deltachat profiles which are private and not published on any server. Conversely, #chatmail relays do not see or collect private data or metadata. But wait, there is more :) We are currently evolving end-to-end security protocols and UX to **survive an attacker fully taking over a server**. The attacker shall not even be able to message users, let alone impersonate anyone. image
While #cloudflare US-east1 is busy fixing a good part of the Internet, parts of Matrix/Element, X etc down, good old decentralized #chatmail mostly continues nicely and without any degradation :) In other news, there is a new #freebsd community maintained ❀️ #deltachat desktop install: pkg install deltachat-desktop thanks @npub1swcr...y2dn and others!
Denmark and other EU governments still pursue #chatcontrol. They still want to permanently legalize client-side scanning but postponed making it mandatory. They also want to increase age-verification controls which risk to ruin what little is left of privacy in current digital spaces, taken hostage already by US corps. Ourselves? We double down on providing the most private, reliable and fun messaging experience, with a growing federating #chatmail relay network across the globe. image
We hereby challenge _all_ other messaging apps, FOSS or not, to provide a more convenient private onboarding experience than #deltachat 1. Install app 2. "Create new profile" 3. Enter nick name, tap "Agree and continue" 4. Tap "+" and "new contact" and provide/scan qr code/link Voila! A secure private chat, familiar to those coming from Whatsapp or Telegram (without "AI", with #a11y). Note: chat identities are private and can not be queried or discovered. Servers keep no track or metadata
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It's done! #chatcontrol is officially of the table after the danish EU council presidency drops it for good. It's a small but important victory! Thanks again to @npub14rvf...y6tq for coordinating grassroots interventions, and everyone else, especially on the fediverse, for joining efforts to fundamentally preserve end-to-end encryption πŸ’œ Also to [@Mer__edith](
Mastodon
Meredith Whittaker (@Mer__edith@mastodon.world)
1.19K Posts, 314 Following, 33.1K Followers Β· President of @signalapp
 ) and @Signal for their strong end-to-end encryption work and stances. Of course, vigilance remains important.
Euractiv
Danish Presidency backs away from 'chat control' | Euractiv
The Danes will seek to propose a voluntary detection regime in the CSAM proposal, instead of controversial mandatory detection orders