• skymtf@pricefield.org
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    12
    arrow-down
    11
    ·
    1 year ago

    Signal is just a messaging app, and worst of all to a ton of people you have to share your phone number, something that is kinda intimate and you might only share it among the closer people in your friend group, even when signal launches usernames unless it builds something around signal it’s just another annoying messaging app to keep track of.

    • Corroded@leminal.space
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      16
      arrow-down
      1
      ·
      1 year ago

      There’s an app called Session that is similar to Signal without the phone number requirement but then you have the issue of moving people to an even more niche platform

      • Opafi@feddit.de
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        5
        arrow-down
        1
        ·
        edit-2
        1 year ago

        There’s also threema which is pretty tried and tested and quite popular where I live (and also not connected to weird crypto schemes) but it of course has the same issue.

        • HughJanus@lemmy.ml
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          2
          ·
          1 year ago

          I love SimpleX because you can have multiple users and you can use 1-time invite codes so you don’t actually have to give anyone an identifier of any kind if you don’t want to.

          • Cheradenine@sh.itjust.works
            link
            fedilink
            English
            arrow-up
            1
            ·
            edit-2
            1 year ago

            I do occasionally, but my friends don’t, I think it is my phone because a reboot fixes it.

            ETA: ‘occasionally’ about every 1-2 months

      • krimsonbun@lemmy.blahaj.zone
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        2
        ·
        1 year ago

        I’ve tried to use session to talk to a couple family members but I just don’t get notifications, so I just use signal. (no I’m not on slow mode, I just use microG)

      • iliketrains@kbin.social
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        2
        ·
        1 year ago

        For some reason the session network (oxen network) now blocks my Hetzner VPS connection (I use for VPN). Have been a session user for around 2 years now and now I have to reconsider Signal.

      • Afrazzle@sh.itjust.works
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        1
        ·
        1 year ago

        If only there was some messaging app that basically every college age student already has installed. That would be convenient.

        • Corroded@leminal.space
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          2
          ·
          1 year ago

          I’m not sure if you meant that sarcastically but besides Instagram I really haven’t come across one

        • Corroded@leminal.space
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          3
          arrow-down
          1
          ·
          1 year ago

          I haven’t seen enough evidence to say it’s a scam. It uses Oxen to incentive users to host nodes. Why would that be anymore of a scam than any other crypto currency?

            • Corroded@leminal.space
              link
              fedilink
              English
              arrow-up
              1
              ·
              1 year ago

              This from the Lokinet website

              While Tor and Lokinet are both onion routers, they are very different at both the protocol and infrastructure levels.

              Tor relies on a network of volunteer-operated relays and a set of central directory authorities, and this infrastructure introduces a number of weaknesses and limitations. Because Tor’s circuit moderation is bandwidth-weighted, you are much more likely to use high-bandwidth nodes than low-bandwidth ones, meaning that a large percentage of Tor’s 7000+ nodes are underutilised due to having insufficient bandwidth. Additionally, Tor relies on a limited set of directory authorities. When these directory authorities are compromised or suffer from technical issues, the stability of the entire Tor network suffers because the network is unable to agree on what the node set is or the roles of nodes in the network (whether they were guard nodes, exit nodes, relays, etc.).

              Instead of relying on volunteers, Lokinet leverages the Oxen Service Node Network. Because Oxen’s service node operators are required to provide high-quality nodes — and are actively incentivised to do so — Lokinet’s relay network is consistent and reliable. Lokinet also inherits the market-based Sybil attack resistance of the Oxen blockchain, increasing Lokinet’s security against such attacks.

              Instead of Tor’s system of central directory authorities, Lokinet stores the state of the service node network on the blockchain. Every service node has access to this list, and comes to a consensus on it, making Lokinet significantly more decentralised than Tor.

              Lokinet is also more versatile than Tor — Tor operates on the transport layer and is only able to carry TCP traffic, while Lokinet operates on the network layer, meaning it can onion-route any IP-based protocol: TCP, UDP, ICMP, etc. This means Lokinet can be used for much more than just web browsing — it can also handle things like media streaming and video conferencing.

                • Corroded@leminal.space
                  link
                  fedilink
                  English
                  arrow-up
                  1
                  ·
                  1 year ago

                  Yeah it’s just Tor + blockchain, for marketing and exitscam purposes.

                  Seems pretty elaborate for a non-profit that has been delcaring their annual allocation of funds for years.

                  Tor is pretty trusted for security. Lokinet isn’t.

                  Lokinet is still experimental and hasn’t undergone a third party security audit to my knowledge in the same way their app Session has.

    • GorbinOutOverHere [comrade/them]@hexbear.net
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      11
      arrow-down
      2
      ·
      1 year ago

      have to share your phone number

      Lol, lmao even

      What great security

      Same shit with Telegram and how you literally can’t use it without a phone. You have to use your phone to log in on desktop, even. Just lollll