7503eb409e
Messaging deck: - Slide 5: remove redundant E2EE column (all apps have it), add italic note - Resources: shorten meshtastic link text, apply .dense class - Add .dense CSS class (0.5em) for slides that need extra reduction SoMe deck: - Apply .dense class to The Categories and Messaging slides (7 rows each) - Add .dense CSS class definition Co-Authored-By: Claude Sonnet 4.6 <noreply@anthropic.com>
234 lines
7.8 KiB
Markdown
234 lines
7.8 KiB
Markdown
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marp: true
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theme: gaia
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class: invert
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paginate: true
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<style>
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table { font-size: 0.65em; }
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th, td { padding: 0.25em 0.6em; }
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section.dense table { font-size: 0.5em; }
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section.dense th, section.dense td { padding: 0.2em 0.5em; }
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</style>
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# Messaging Without Big Tech
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### Free & Open Alternatives to WhatsApp and Messenger
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MakerFLOSS · May 2026
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---
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## Why Are We Here?
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Most people use WhatsApp, Messenger, or iMessage.
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- **WhatsApp** — owned by Meta; metadata harvested
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- **Messenger** — no E2EE by default in groups; ad tracking
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- **Telegram** — _not_ E2EE by default; closed server
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- **iMessage** — Apple lock-in; no Android or Linux
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These apps are _convenient_ — but the cost is your data.
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---
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## Wish-list
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| Property | Why it matters |
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| ------------------------- | ------------------------------------------- |
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| End-to-end encryption | Only sender and recipient can read messages |
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| Open source | Anyone can audit the code |
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| Self-hostable | You control the server and the data |
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| No phone number required | Less identity linkage |
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| Cross-platform | Linux, Android, iOS, Windows |
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| Federated / decentralized | No single point of failure or control |
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---
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## The Landscape at a Glance
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_All apps below support end-to-end encryption._
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| App | Open source | Self-host | No phone# | Federation |
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| -------------------- | ----------- | --------- | --------- | ---------- |
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| **Signal** | Partial | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
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| **Matrix / Element** | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
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| **XMPP + OMEMO** | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
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| **Briar** | ✓ | N/A | ✓ | N/A |
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| **Session** | ✓ | Partial | ✓ | Partial |
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---
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## Signal — The Gold Standard for E2EE
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Non-profit Signal Foundation. The Signal Protocol powers WhatsApp, Google RCS, and Messenger secret chats.
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**Pros**
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- Simplest UX — works like a normal messaging app
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- Audited, battle-tested cryptography; no ads, no tracking
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**Cons**
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- Phone number required — links identity to account
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- Centralized — Signal's servers, Signal's rules
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**Best for:** journalists, activists, everyday secure messaging
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---
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## Signal — Under the Hood
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```mermaid
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sequenceDiagram
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participant A as Alice's phone
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participant S as Signal Server
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participant B as Bob's phone
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A->>S: encrypted message
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Note over S: sees: who, when, how often<br/>does NOT see: content
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S->>B: encrypted message
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Note over B: decrypts with private key
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```
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Metadata still matters — [Signal subpoena responses](https://signal.org/bigbrother/)
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---
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## Matrix — The Federated Open Standard
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Matrix is a **protocol**, not an app — like email for real-time chat.
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```mermaid
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graph LR
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EC[Element client] --> YH[your homeserver]
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YH <-->|federation| OH[another homeserver]
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FC[FluffyChat] --> OH
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```
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- **Servers**: Synapse (Python), Conduit (Rust), Dendrite (Go)
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- **Clients**: Element, FluffyChat, Cinny, Fractal, Nheko
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- **Bridges**: WhatsApp, Telegram, Signal, IRC, Discord…
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---
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## Matrix — Pros and Cons
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**Pros**
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- Fully open source, top to bottom
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- Self-host your server — you own your data
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- Federated — no single company controls the network
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- Bridges consolidate all your chats in one place
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**Cons**
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- E2EE key management is clunky (cross-signing, key backup)
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- Synapse is resource-hungry (~1 GB RAM)
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- The UX of Element is still maturing
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---
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## Matrix — Why It's Interesting for MakerFLOSS
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We could run `matrix.makerfloss.eu` on our existing VPS.
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- Full control over our community chat
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- Bridges to reach people still on WhatsApp or Messenger
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- A playground for self-hosted infrastructure
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- Federated — members can also use matrix.org or personal servers
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- ~500 MB RAM with Conduit (lighter than Synapse)
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---
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## Matrix Bridges — Stay Connected During the Transition
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A bridge relays messages between Matrix and another network — both ways.
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| Bridge | Network | Notes |
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| ------------------------- | ---------- | ------------------------------------------- |
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| `mautrix-whatsapp` | WhatsApp | Puppeting — your real WA account |
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| `mautrix-telegram` | Telegram | Puppeting — very stable |
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| `mautrix-signal` | Signal | Fragile — Signal actively breaks 3rd-party |
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| `meshtastic-matrix-relay` | Meshtastic | LoRa mesh ↔ Matrix — off-grid messaging |
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**Catch:** Puppeting bridges hold your credentials. WhatsApp's ToS prohibits it — occasional bans occur.
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---
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## XMPP (Jabber)
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The _original_ federated chat standard — 1999. Still alive and kicking.
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- Extremely mature and lightweight
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- E2EE via OMEMO
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- Good clients: **Conversations** (Android), **Monal** (iOS/macOS), **Gajim** (desktop)
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- Con: fragmented client quality; less beginner-friendly than Signal or Matrix
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---
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## Briar
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Peer-to-peer messaging — _no server at all_.
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- Works over Tor, local WiFi, or Bluetooth (offline!)
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- Censorship-resistant by design
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- Con: Android-first; no desktop client; both parties must be online to first connect
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**For:** activists, disaster scenarios, high-censorship environments
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---
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## Participation — Let's Talk
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**Round 1: Your current situation** _(2 min, pairs)_
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- What messenger do you use most, and why?
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- Is there anything about it that bothers you?
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**Round 2: Barriers** _(group discussion)_
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- What's the hardest part of switching or convincing others?
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- "But all my friends are on WhatsApp" — how do you handle it?
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---
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## Participation — Try It Now
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**Option A — Signal**
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Install Signal, register with your phone number, message the person next to you.
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**Option B — Matrix (web)**
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Open [app.element.io](https://app.element.io), create an account on matrix.org, join `#makerfloss:matrix.org`.
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**Option C — Discussion**
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Should MakerFLOSS run a Matrix homeserver?
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---
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<!-- _class: invert dense -->
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## Resources
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| Resource | Link |
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| ----------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
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| Signal | [signal.org](https://signal.org) |
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| Element client | [element.io](https://element.io) |
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| Matrix spec | [spec.matrix.org](https://spec.matrix.org) |
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| Conduit server | [conduit.rs](https://conduit.rs) |
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| Briar | [briarproject.org](https://briarproject.org) |
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| Privacy Guides | [privacyguides.org/…/real-time-communication](https://www.privacyguides.org/en/real-time-communication) |
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| meshtastic-matrix-relay | [github: geoffwhittington/meshtastic-matrix-relay](https://github.com/geoffwhittington/meshtastic-matrix-relay) |
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---
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## Summary
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- **Signal**: easiest switch, best UX, E2EE by default — but centralized, requires phone number
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- **Matrix**: most aligned with FLOSS values, self-hostable, federated — but more complex
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- **XMPP**: the old guard, still solid for the technically inclined
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- **Briar**: for extreme scenarios — no infrastructure needed
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**The best alternative is the one people will actually use.**
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---
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# Questions?
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_Slides made with [Marp](https://marp.app) — open source markdown slide tool_
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