Hello fellow c/privacy members.

I’m not new to privacy related things but I had a hard time persuading my family members and friends to switch to Matrix/Element. It is a reponse to UK’s Online Security Bill and Investigative Powers Act that may soon in effect.

While it is just a preperation and planning in case those actually became law, I already face resistance from them. When I ask them would they switch, their first reaction is “Why one more app?” then follows with “That’s cumbersome.” or “I don’t want to learn a new app.” and suggest something more popular like Line, Telegram or Discord. Sometimes they would “Install WhatsApp because X is on there and he/she won’t install one more app just for you.”

What can I do to persuade them to use a new platform? Thanks in advance.

EDIT: I think I should elebroate more of what Online Security Bill and Investigative Powers Act does[1]. As far as I understand, OSB will break E2EE by require scanning data on client device, like CSAM but much more generic. IPA requires companies to submit security funcition to the government for approval before releasing, and disable such feature upon request. Apple[2], Single[3] and WhatsApp made the announancment of exiting the UK market totally or partically if two were signed into law.

[1] https://web.archive.org/web/thenextweb.com/news/uk-investigatory-powers-act-default-surveillance-devices-privacy
[2] https://web.archive.org/web/www.forbes.com/sites/emmawoollacott/2023/07/21/apple-threatens-to-pull-facetime-and-imessage-from-the-uk
[3] https://web.archive.org/web/20230809125823/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-65301510#2023-08-09T12:57:48+00:00

  • newhinton@kbin.social
    473·
    11 months ago

    Just a reminder, telegram is NOT secure at all. Telegram is NOT end-to-end encryptes by default, and they are not disclosing this fact peoperly, which makes them untrustworthy and not a tool against growing online surveilance

    • TheFool@infosec.pub
      1·
      11 months ago

      Sure you have to enable E2EE but they never say they use E2EE by default, they’re not advertising at all anyway. Saying it is “not secure at all” is a bit of a reach. They have proven they don’t share data with governments and again, you can use E2EE if you want

    • glasgitarrewelt@feddit.de
      9·
      11 months ago

      I can’t confirm this. For me it runs smooth and without bugs. Calls with Element are sometimes better than calls with my mobile carrier.

      But I don’t have the technical knowledge to understand why a backend in python is a bad thing. Maybe your experience with Matrix is biased because of this knowledge?

      • kaya@eviltoast.orgEnglish
        2·
        11 months ago

        Afaik conduit is even more beta than denderite, personally I would not use it after seeing how buggy experience friends had with it

        • umami_wasabi@lemmy.mlOP
          1·
          11 months ago

          I haven’t tried yet. Dendrite follows the micro services architecture which I don’t need and increases management work. That’s why I choose Conduit.

      • Hexadecimalkink@lemmy.ml
        56·
        11 months ago

        This paragraph is why you won’t convince friends and family to use Matrix. It’s still too technical for non-technical people.

        • umami_wasabi@lemmy.mlOP
          4·
          11 months ago

          I agree it is technical. However, considering if the laws are in effect, there might not be a secure option, let alone private. It means that all conversations might be under government’s watch. That’s why I’m looking for a self hostable option, that can make sure data is in my control.

          I am open to considering alternatives, but the foundation of the plan is based on the assumption that apps commonly used for secure and private conversations, such as Signal, may become insufficiently secure and private due to potential future laws or the possibility of exiting the UK market. The preferred criteria for the chosen app are that it is open source, audited, or ideally, both.

  • BitSound@lemmy.world
    14·
    11 months ago

    You could buy them a drink to install it. That’s how I got my family onto Signal. I also got my GF onto Element, but she’s also obligated to put up with my shit

  • MentalEdge@sopuli.xyz
    13·
    11 months ago

    1. I set up a home server with a litany of bridges.

    2. I show them all my chats from multiple platforms in one app.

    3. They ask me for an account.

      • MentalEdge@sopuli.xyz
        2·
        11 months ago

        You can also try to find an instance that already does bridging. For Finnish citizens, pikaviestin.fi is a good option, but they don’t provide accounts to non-finns.

        But no, I do not have a guide for setting this up. But you set up a homeserver, with a domain you can commit to, and once that is working, configure whatever bridges you like using their respective docs.

        And yes, it is complex. Matrix is the most complicated thing I’ve ever self-hosted. But it wasn’t untenable, and it’s been very low maintenance.

  • stappern@lemmy.one
    197·
    11 months ago

    i just tell them “if you want to talk to me im on X”, if they care enough they will, if they dont, they wont. problem solved.

    • umami_wasabi@lemmy.mlOP
      4·
      11 months ago

      I wish I can be this definitive but I couldn’t. Those connections are still needed, and most of the time is I need to talk to someone rather than the opposite.

      • Otter@lemmy.caEnglish
        10·
        11 months ago

        Which is why I don’t like that advice. These connections are valuable, and people might want to talk to you but have other reasons why they won’t end up using the privacy focussed option only. It’s very hard to switch fully to something like Signal or Matrix, and this isn’t unique to privacy focussed chat apps either.

        For me I talk to close friends and family on Signal, and that works because those are the people I have personal discussions with. For other friends that don’t really use Signal consistently, I’ve found that they still use Signal when they want to talk about something private. It’s a process, and I’m happy to put in a little bit of work while people I care about switch over.

      • stappern@lemmy.one
        3·
        11 months ago

        and most of the time is I need to talk to someone rather than the opposite.

        for this you cant do much other that setup a whatsapp bridge or something

    • umami_wasabi@lemmy.mlOP
      1·
      11 months ago

      Sad but true. However, my whole family are not there. They are the primary contacts of mine, with some friends in the mix.

  • poVoq@slrpnk.net
    165·
    11 months ago

    Sorry to break it to you, but Matrix is (for all practical purposes) run by a UK based company. If you are concerned about UK legislation, they are one of the worst to switch to as they will likely have little choice but to comply.

    Better use XMPP, which is fully independent of any single company running everything behind the curtains.

      • poVoq@slrpnk.net
        124·
        11 months ago

        Which is 100% controlled by the Matrix Foundation (and not an international standard like XMPP), which in turn is near 100% controlled by a single UK based company (Element/New Vector). Which makes the distinction between the company and the protocol absolutely moot. I wish it was otherwise.

        • Possibly linux@lemmy.zipEnglish
          5·
          11 months ago

          That’s not really true though. If the Matrix foundation, element or any other party does something scketchy just fork it

          • poVoq@slrpnk.net
            31·
            11 months ago

            Have you ever looked at the Synapse codebase? It’s almost as bad as Chromium and we all know how impossible that is to “just fork”.

            • 👁️👄👁️@lemm.eeEnglish
              5·
              11 months ago

              That comparison doesn’t make sense. They are actively developing Dendrite alongside Synapse. They goal of Synapse is to be the stable version that just works and deploys the new features. Not necessarily being slim and efficient. That’s where Dendrite comes in and is very close to being feature parity. Many major servers already are running Dendrite and you wouldn’t even notice.

              So if Google was actively developing a competitor to Chromium that is much more slimmed down and efficient, then your comparison would make sense.

        • 👁️👄👁️@lemm.eeEnglish
          4·
          11 months ago

          You don’t need to speculate what they’re doing. It’s entirely open source, and you can validate every line of code they’re putting in. Is there any actual parts of the matrix protocol or app you’re specifically warning against, or are you causing general FUD?

          Again, we don’t need to speculate, the entire platform is open source from server to client, so if there’s an issue with legislation then you can see it reflected in the code.

          • poVoq@slrpnk.net
            12·
            11 months ago

            I am not speculating about anything. Are you personally ready to develop & maintain a fork of a Matrix homeserver or client? There is of course Conduit and Fluffychat etc. but they chronically lack behind in features and have all sorts of incompatibilities.

            If Element is forced to implement the privacy invasive features required by this proposed UK legislation you will have little choice but to follow along as the entire ecosystem is over-engineered and designed to give Element a competitive edge over other competitors trying to use the same protocol. Like with Chromium it doesn’t matter much that it is open-source.

            • 👁️👄👁️@lemm.eeEnglish
              1·
              11 months ago

              You list multiple alternative server software and then claim it’s unachievable at the same time lol. You are proving yourself wrong. Also there are a ton of other good Matrix apps out there besides Element.

              You are speculating because you are speculating something could potentially go wrong because they’re in the UK, therefore the entire FOSS ecosystem and company they built just be untrustworthy.

        • umami_wasabi@lemmy.mlOP
          1·
          11 months ago

          I guess I can just remove such code if they ever implement it as the home server is open sourced (Synapse). Plus other implementation exists (Conduit). Still, I will have a look on XMPP and see if it meets my needs. As others points out, I shouldn’t persuade but adapt thus I need bridges to connect other services, which Matrix isn’t lack of.

          • poVoq@slrpnk.net
            1·
            11 months ago

            And then? Either you never update it, which likely means you will gradually stop being able to communicate with other people on the Matrix network, or you do, which means you will get those privacy invasive changes on your own server as well. And as I extensively explained elsewhere in this thread, forking is not a realistic option.

  • ExtremeDullard@lemmy.sdf.org
    10·
    11 months ago

    I’m in the process of trying to convince my company to switch to Matrix. I’ve setup a test server and the execs are tepidly giving it a whirl.

    The problem is, we use Teams, Microsoft has its proverbial foot in our door, people are used to Teams and don’t really want to switch, and the company doesn’t care enough about privacy and data sovereignty to overcome the inertia and the learning curve.

    They listen politely to my arguments and they agree that it would be better if Microsoft didn’t get all our data, but ultimately they really don’t care at all.

  • southsamurai@sh.itjust.works
    101·
    11 months ago

    You don’t persuade them. They’ve already made their decision. Now you have to make yours. Their reasons for not wanting to switch are just as valid as yours for wanting to.

    So, you either switch and accept that some of the people in your life don’t actually care enough to come with you, or you’re the one that has to adapt to multiple apps to communicate with others. That’s really what it boils down to. Most people don’t care about the matter, and there’s a segment of people in most of our lives that don’t care about us if there’s any inconvenience involved.

    Some of them made alternate suggestions, which means they’re willing to go through some inconvenience for you, just not the specific inconvenience of having an app that only you and they will be using.

    Despite now having storage space for multiple messaging apps, people resist the idea of having more than whatever arbitrary number they’ve decided doesn’t work. In some cases, that number may be one. And the truth is that remembering who is connected via what app/service is a pain in the ass if there’s enough people in your life. Some people can’t handle that memory issue and are just going to refuse outright out of necessity.

    So, stop trying to change their minds and seek compromise. If they’re willing to switch to telegram, you can at least have some degree of encryption, so go with that for anyone that’s expressed willingness. Let that core group become the reason for anyone else to join in.

    Unless you just want to play hardball and refuse to communicate with anyone on anything but your choice. There will be some that cave and join in. But you’d be amazed how many people and which people don’t really want to talk to you enough to do so. But you’ll have a small group of people that are now using it with you. You’ll have to help them get set up, and be prepared for the inevitable tech support you’re volunteering to provide, as well as the need to guide them through the learning curve of it.

  • Agility0971@lemmy.world
    7·
    11 months ago

    “Installing APP does not require you to switch to it nor asking friends and family to use it. What it does is allowing them to reach out to you in a private way. By installing it you respect and support their choice of avoiding BAD_APP.”

    On the sidenote: Just recommend Signal. It uses phone number as identifier, easy to grow by using phone book, has good track record when glowies have a warrant and most importantly it’s stable. It has flaws (no sms, not saving chat history) but there are no other alternatives available yet that beat signal for normies.

    • umami_wasabi@lemmy.mlOP
      1·
      11 months ago

      They are using Signal. I want to switch to Matrix/Element because the new laws might make Signal (and other viable chat apps) unavailable in the UK anymore.

  • AnxiousDuck@feddit.it
    6·
    11 months ago

    Bro I can’t even convince them to join me on Signal… It even syncs contacts w/ mobile number so it’s just a matter of downloading a stupid app and you’re set… I think one day I’ll be brave enough and just disappear from whatsapp.

    • calm.like.a.bomb@lemmy.dbzer0.comEnglish
      4·
      11 months ago

      I did this a few years ago. I set my status message to “Starting on [date] I’ll be available only on Signal/sms.” and that was it. A few frieds/family members moved, most of them not, but I don’t miss it a bit.

    • N-E-N@lemmy.ca
      3·
      11 months ago

      I basically forced everyone to message me on Signal & Telegram cause fuck Meta (people my age in Canada desperately wants to talk on Instagram for some reason)

    • umami_wasabi@lemmy.mlOP
      2·
      11 months ago

      Don’t remind me of Signal. I spent lots of effort to convince them to switch, and ultimately defeated, not the app but me, because of a protest that people move toward a more secure communication system i.e. Signal, not more private.

  • kworpy@lemm.eeEnglish
    4·
    11 months ago

    If they don’t want to then don’t continue trying to persuade them. Chances are they don’t care about privacy anyway, and even if they do, everyone has their own personal preferences.

  • mishimaenjoyer@kbin.social
    3·
    11 months ago

    i tried and i failed. not because my friends didn’t want to switch, but because the software is hillariously bad. problems with the encryption left and right, smaller instances having downtimes multiple times a week (what’s the use of a federated service if anyone only uses the same one server?), buggy clients - after a few months we shut it down and moved to threema for groupchats.