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

  • MentalEdge@sopuli.xyz
    2·
    2 years 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.

  • southsamurai@sh.itjust.works
    1·
    2 years 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.

  • ExtremeDullard@lemmy.sdf.org
    1·
    2 years 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.

  • AnxiousDuck@feddit.it
    1·
    2 years 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.

  • mister_monster@monero.townEnglish
    1·
    2 years ago

    Look, I once got everyone I know to switch to matrix (Riot, before element) and they depracated the client, made everyone redo their encryption keys, it was a huge mess. Nobody will ever listen to me ever again about a messaging app because of what new vector did with riot.

    Matrix is too janky for people. Use something else. Simplex, signal, whatever.

    Beyond that, the key is breaking this “one more app” mentality. Why is it so hard to have an app on your phone? These people would install the Starbucks app for a single free milkshake in a heartbeat. This expectation that everyone and everything can be done in one app is absurd, and it’s marketing by the big companies to lock people in when there’s no reason for it. your phone runs apps. What’s the big deal?

    And that starts with you. make yourself available on multiple different messengers as possible. Don’t say “I use matrix”, youre being inflexible. Use everything that doesn’t collect your contacts and spy on you. Use telegram, but tell people telegram isn’t encrypted. I personally have matrix, XMPP, session, signal, simplex, telegram, and I even have a discord but I never use it. I fall back to email if I have to. Be flexible if you expect others to be, be available to communicate with in as many ways as you can privately to incentivize people to switch, give them options and let them pick.

    • GenderNeutralBro@lemmy.sdf.orgEnglish
      1·
      2 years ago

      Matrix is too janky for people. Use something else. Simplex, signal, whatever

      This is the gist of it, yes. Setting up a Matrix account has several steps (e.g. backups, identity server, discovery) that are each complicated enough on their own to be deal-breakers for the vast majority of users. It’s just a non-starter for anyone who’s not a techie. It’s been around for many years but still has an absolutely terrible UX.

      I wouldn’t dare to recommend it to anyone I know because I do not have the patience to walk them through it and explain it. It would cost me time, energy, and most importantly it would cost me social trust. Nobody would take me seriously anymore if I recommended something that is so user-unfriendly.

      Signal is a pretty easy sell, on the other hand. It’s simple, it’s secure, and it works like any other messaging client. It’s not 800 steps to set up backups and discovery. I would prefer to use a decentralized platform, but I’m not investing into Matrix because IMHO, it has no future in the mainstream. I have a Matrix account but I don’t use it talk to anyone I know IRL, and I doubt I ever will.

      • ReversalHatchery@beehaw.orgEnglish
        1·
        2 years ago

        Signal is only easier because it entirely ignores logging in on multiple devices. Maybe for some it is ok, but for me this is a huge dealbreaker, not an advantage.
        If you dont set up key backups (an optional feature), its the same thing: with Signal, if you delete the app or lose your phone, all your messages are gone, along with your contacts that werent saved in your phone contacts and uploaded to a cloud service. If you use Matrix as you do with Signal, it works the same: you delete it, messages are gone. This is the default. But, you have the option to keep your messages.

        Identity server? You dont have to use that, and I don’t either. You are not obliged to set up being discovered by outside identifiers. Like I don’t want people to find me by my phone number, as I don’t want to use my phone number, for anything, at all, and so I didn’t do that.
        I see that on Signal, you always find people by their phone number, which you are required to hand in. On Matrix, you find people either by their handles (~username), or their phone number or email address if they have handed those in, voluntarily.
        So with an indentity server you can make yourself discoverable by your phone number, and you must use one if you want that.
        But I think there is a better solution (on the long term, at least): to forget about phone numbers altogether, when possible. Why would this be feasible? It is possible to store the handle in your phones contacts, with the standard “instant messenger” field. Contacts then are usually sharable in messaging apps, or with a QR code, and a lot of software generally understands this format, so you could use this to make your handle known.
        By the way, identity servers and discovery is the same step, not 2 different one.

  • poVoq@slrpnk.net
    1·
    2 years 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
        2·
        2 years 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.

          • poVoq@slrpnk.net
            1·
            2 years 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.

        • Possibly linux@lemmy.zipEnglish
          1·
          2 years 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
            1·
            2 years 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
              1·
              2 years 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.

        • umami_wasabi@lemmy.mlOP
          0·
          2 years 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.

          • EngineerGaming@feddit.nl
            0·
            2 years ago

            I preferred xmpp because it’s easier to host and consumes MUCH less RAM than a Matrix server. idk how both of them scale, but I only have myself and a few friends and family on my XMPP server and works fine.

  • newhinton@kbin.social
    11·
    2 years 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·
      2 years 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