Jean-luc Peak-hard

Piefed is both an instance (piefed.social) and back-end server software that allows anyone to run their own instance (list of various Piefed instances). It works on the same ActivityPub protocol as Lemmy and Kbin/Mbin so they all interoperate with each other.

One of the cool things I like about Piefed is it seems to join the comments of various instances in cross-posts. On Lemmy, you can see its crossposted, but you have to manually check them out to see any comments on others. One cool feature I like over Lemmy. There’s a few others, but I’d encourage you to check it out. You don’t have to commit if you don’t like it.

Awesome! Good to know its based off some kind of standardized testing. This is good for everyone!

From @[email protected] on a post over at [email protected]

Yeah this is just manufacturers self rating themselves. This is just like VW cars rating themselves as getting 5-10mpg better than their competitors, when really they were just measuring from the balls.

The up side is if they fail to meet those ratings then are the consumers entitled to some sort of compensation?

Btw, I love how Piefed shows comments from cross-posts. Every client should do it, helps make the fediverse feel bigger and more diverse.

their servers are in the usa.

Their “home office” is in the US. That doesn’t necessarily mean they don’t have servers distributed globally.

So the usa government has the same level of access as compared to whatsapp?

No, the US government does not have the same level of access to Signal as they do with Whatsapp. The only reason the US has so much access to Whatsapp is because Whatsapp only bothered to implement End-to-end encryption (E2EE). Unfortunately, in 2205, E2EE is the bare minimum. E2EE via the Signal protocol has been a “solved issue” since 2013 and Whatsapp implemented it 3 years later (great!) but they have not improved privacy since. Whatsapp still collects a metric-fuck-ton of metadata like:

• Who you communicate with
• When you communicate
• How long your calls last
• The frequency of communication
• When you’re “active” on the platform
• Group memberships and group titles
• Your profile information (this is E2EE on Signal)
• Your contacts get uploaded in a way that’s visible to Whatsapp. Signal does contact discovery in a privacy preserving way.

Then they correlate this data with everything else they have about you to “fill in the gaps”. Signal doesn’t collect any metadata.

It’s non profit now, but so was openai…

The difference here is there’s nothing of value for Signal to “sell” since they don’t collect metadata and have engineered it to work without being able to see anything. The Signal server and client are already open source, there’s no “secret sauce”. Lastly, because they collect zero data they can’t even sell it for ad-serving purposes. Who would buy Signal?

switching to another app is difficult, it’s hard to get people ingrained in an ecosystem switch once let alone twice

100% agree. The best way I’ve found is to drop the offending platform (whatsapp) and move to Signal. Let others know you accept text/SMS or Signal messages. Over the years the people on Signal (at least in my group) has steadily grown.

I would like to close by saying that Signal is not shy about complying with the law, they will not go to prison for anyone’s potential crimes. That said, they publish the data they provide when compelled by law and the only data they collect is the day + time you signed up with their service and the last day (not time) one of your clients pinged their servers, source: https://signal.org/bigbrother/

Here’s a list of reasons why you should consider moving to Signal , if you haven’t already:

• End-to-End Encryption (E2EE) by Default : Signal uses the Signal Protocol, which is considered the gold standard for E2EE. This means that all your messages, calls (voice and video), and file sharing are encrypted on your device before they leave and can only be decrypted by the intended recipient’s device. Not even Signal can read your communications. This is a crucial differentiator from many other apps (like Telegram, which doesn’t encrypt all chats by default, or WhatsApp, which collects metadata).
• Zero Data Collection (No Metadata) : Signal is designed to collect as little user data as possible. They don’t store information about who you talk to, when you talk, your contacts, group memberships, or even your profile ID. This means even if subpoenaed, Signal has almost no user data to provide, in fact all they can provide is the date + time you registered with the service and the last day (not time) one of your clients pinged their servers. Other apps, including WhatsApp, collect significant metadata, which can reveal patterns about your communication even if the content is encrypted.
• Open Source and Audited : Signal’s code is completely open-source, allowing security experts and the public to inspect it for vulnerabilities and ensure its integrity. This transparency fosters trust and makes it highly resistant to hidden backdoors or malicious features.
• Non-Profit Organization : Signal is run by the Signal Foundation, a non-profit organization funded by donations. This means there are no commercial interests, no ads, and no pressure to sell user data for revenue, unlike many commercially driven messaging apps.
• Phone Number Privacy (Usernames) : While Signal historically required a phone number for registration, it now offers the option to communicate via usernames, allowing you to connect with people without revealing your phone number.
• Relay Calls : For voice and video calls, you can opt to “relay” your calls through Signal’s servers, which helps hide your IP address from the other party.
• Standard Messaging Features: Signal offers all the core features you’d expect from a modern messaging app, including text messaging, group chats, voice and video calls (both individual and group), file sharing, and voice messages.
• Cross-Platform Availability : Signal is available on Android, iOS, Windows, macOS, and Linux.
• User-Friendly Interface : Despite its strong focus on security, Signal maintains an intuitive experience, removing the barrier to entry for anyone who isn’t technically inclined.

Check out the gemini protocol: https://geminiprotocol.net/

It kinda fills that niche of the “old web”.

Your profile, like everything else on Signal, is also end-to-end encrypted. Your name and profile picture do get shared with whoever you chat with, groups or individuals. If you don’t want your name and profile picture shared with randos, either don’t set them or don’t chat with randos.

Signal defaults to hiding your phone number since the release of user names: https://signal.org/blog/phone-number-privacy-usernames/