Help me find information about scandals, security problems, and failure to respect users involving these proprietary social media apps

submitted by chanteoma@lemmy.ml

lemmy.ml/pictrs/image/2272eb0a-fce3-4fd0-9a78-2…

Join the Fediverse! #GlobalSwitchDay
from:
 WhatsApp to Signal, Reddit to Lemmy, X/Twitter to Mastodon, Instagram to Pixelfed, Faceboon Messenger to Signal, Facebook to Friendica, YouTube to PeerTube, TikTok to Loops.video

Hey! Following the #GlobalSwitchDay initiative, can you share any scandal, security problems or situations in which the proprietary apps have failed to care for their users? I would like to gather information for each app so people I know can be more informed about what they're using. Mention things that you might even take for granted, some people are completely unaware.

The apps are: Whatsapp, Reddit, X/Twitter, Instagram, Facebook Messenger, Facebook, YouTube, TikTok.

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Iirc, Acton donated to signal, they didn't go on to make it as an alternative. Signal existed long before he left, and even longer ago as open whisper systems' TextSexure, which was a means of SMS / MMS encryption.

OWS was founded by moxie back in 2013

We can argue abozt the usefullness of Signal Ort the usability of Matrix. But please remove Signal from the chart as it suggests it is federated.

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Hi, I didn't created the chart, and you're right, Signal is not federated. But I think the big aspect several people have missed about this initiative is not which FOSS option for messaging is the best (which I understand is a big matter of concern for a lot of people already aware of the problems of proprietary apps), but making people completely unaware that there are options know that they can use something that respects their privacy and treats them as humans, not just "users"/"consumers", which is from my point of view, one of the main strengths of FOSS and Fedi apps.

I get your point, but having Signal in a "Get Federated" list is very misleading at best.

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Signal: 0-click deanonymisation: https://gist.github.com/hackermondev/45a3cdfa52246f1d1201c1e8cdef6117

I now read that you didn’t note signal but you have it in the image and it’s a centralized app.

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It's an interesting attack, but I'd hardly call getting the location within a ±200 mile radius deanonymisation, especially if it's so easily avoided by using a vpn.

It’s a 0click so you have to have vpn running the entire time on any device that you install signal on

And if i don't they might find out I'm in the country that i live in.

VPNs are pretty much dead simple to set up, and nowadays doesn't really have all the usability problems it used to have; I don't really see the issue here?

Idk if I’m dumb but I’ve never figured out how PeerTube works. I try to join and I wind up on some instance that has 5 weird videos that I have no interest in. Feels very unapproachable despite me already having more exposure to the Fediverse then your average person.

Check this list out with PeerTube servers to choose from: https://lemmy.wtf/post/15816115

There’s also a post in the same community, with a list of content creators on PeerTube.

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