Conversations is an Open Source & Secure Jabber/XMPP Client for Android
If someone signs up for a WhatsApp account, they also have to agree to Facebook’s user license agreement. It’s generally understood that you trade in your privacy to use these convenient services. Although WhatsApp developers implemented end-to-end encryption as a standard feature, the app itself isn’t fully open source so it comes down to blind trust whether you believe that Whatsapp can’t collect data on you.
For a smooth messaging experience, all of the major instant messaging apps rely on Android’ss native message transfer implementation called Google Cloud Messaging (GCM). The message gets into touch with business interests before it even reaches the server. Most users aren’t willing or able to verify if the service they are using keeps its promises, and even experts can only guess if WhatsApp still fulfils certain security standards after the application has been updated. Every update requires an independent security audit which requires the cooperation of the provider—in this case Facebook.
Independence is the key here, which leads us to Conversations Messenger. It is a fully open source instant messaging app which avoids using GCM by using the XMPP protocol instead—giving control to the user. Conversations allows you to run multiple accounts simultaneously and you can even use a different account for each contact. While other messengers don’t visibly mention which server the given information is uploaded, Conversations lets the user decide which Jabber server deserves their trust. Or, you could even just use your own server. Conversations also offers a server optimized for its requirements, and the first 6 months of server use are free.
Choice separates Conversations from the crowd. The application supports switching between encryption algorithms on the fly and you can choose from three encryption algorithms: PGP, OTR, and OMEMO. While PGP and OTR are well trusted algorithms, OMEMO pushes it further. OTR was never suitable for a majority of users simply because both communication partners had to be online at the same time for message delivery. OMEMO solves this major drawback of OTR; message delivery doesn’t require both users to be online simultaneously.
Conversations is available on the Google Play Store and Amazon App Store. Although the app store versions aren’t free, the application is open source so you can compile it for yourself or grab it from F-Droid.
See more info and a FAQ at http://bit.ly/2iPXa0p
from Danie van der Merwe - Google+ Posts http://ift.tt/2C4dqmV
via IFTTT
If someone signs up for a WhatsApp account, they also have to agree to Facebook’s user license agreement. It’s generally understood that you trade in your privacy to use these convenient services. Although WhatsApp developers implemented end-to-end encryption as a standard feature, the app itself isn’t fully open source so it comes down to blind trust whether you believe that Whatsapp can’t collect data on you.
For a smooth messaging experience, all of the major instant messaging apps rely on Android’ss native message transfer implementation called Google Cloud Messaging (GCM). The message gets into touch with business interests before it even reaches the server. Most users aren’t willing or able to verify if the service they are using keeps its promises, and even experts can only guess if WhatsApp still fulfils certain security standards after the application has been updated. Every update requires an independent security audit which requires the cooperation of the provider—in this case Facebook.
Independence is the key here, which leads us to Conversations Messenger. It is a fully open source instant messaging app which avoids using GCM by using the XMPP protocol instead—giving control to the user. Conversations allows you to run multiple accounts simultaneously and you can even use a different account for each contact. While other messengers don’t visibly mention which server the given information is uploaded, Conversations lets the user decide which Jabber server deserves their trust. Or, you could even just use your own server. Conversations also offers a server optimized for its requirements, and the first 6 months of server use are free.
Choice separates Conversations from the crowd. The application supports switching between encryption algorithms on the fly and you can choose from three encryption algorithms: PGP, OTR, and OMEMO. While PGP and OTR are well trusted algorithms, OMEMO pushes it further. OTR was never suitable for a majority of users simply because both communication partners had to be online at the same time for message delivery. OMEMO solves this major drawback of OTR; message delivery doesn’t require both users to be online simultaneously.
Conversations is available on the Google Play Store and Amazon App Store. Although the app store versions aren’t free, the application is open source so you can compile it for yourself or grab it from F-Droid.
See more info and a FAQ at http://bit.ly/2iPXa0p
from Danie van der Merwe - Google+ Posts http://ift.tt/2C4dqmV
via IFTTT
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