Element | Secure collaboration and messaging
element.io
Element is a Matrix-based end-to-end encrypted messenger and secure collaboration app. It’s decentralised for digital sovereign self-hosting, or through a hosting service such as Element Matrix Services. Element operates on the open Matrix network to provide interoperability and easy connections.

I’m thinking of moving away from US-based messengers.

Signal, telegram etc have the same problematic architectures. Of those kinds of solutions, I like Threema best, but nobody uses them (which is only a problem because of their architecture).

So I wanted to get a solution with a decentralized architecture, pretty much like the fediverse.

From what I can see, the fediverse activityPub with MLS layer project (to enable fediverse end-to-end encrypted messaging) is still in the functional documentation stage.

So, what do you think of Element as a messenger (which uses matrix protocol)?

  • Señor Mono@feddit.orgEnglish
    11·
    2 days ago

    Hosted matrix for a while. It is resource greedy and the message retention was/is a mess.

    Honestly, I don’t see how my folks will ever switch. WhatsApp and Signal are conceptually much easier to grasp and use.

    Currently I’m glad, whenever somebody switches to signal (and I choose to fight one battle at a time).

    • Ghoelian@piefed.socialEnglish
      2·
      22 hours ago

      I’m hosting my matrix server on the cheapest hetznet vps available without issue. Also I’ve never had any messages disappeare, so I’m not sure what you mean with the message retention.

      I do agree it’s way too complex for the average person. I mainly use it with bridges for WhatsApp, sinal, discord, etc, with only a few native matrix contacts.

      • Señor Mono@feddit.orgEnglish
        1·
        22 hours ago

        Messages get re-synced from other instances, even though you want them to be gone. Meaning uncontrolled rise of storage consumption.

    • Pip@feddit.orgOPEnglish
      3·
      1 day ago

      I know what you mean. The requirement is that friends and family will use it, too.

      How long ago was your experience with matrix?

      • erebion@news.erebion.euEnglish
        1·
        1 day ago

        One issue is: As rooms are decentralised, if someone posts illegal content and your server downloads it, that could lead to legal trouble, especially as you’d then also host it.

        The encryption often fails, leading to the meme “Message cannot be decrypted”.

        • Attacker94@lemmy.worldEnglish
          1·
          21 hours ago

          One issue is: As rooms are decentralised, if someone posts illegal content and your server downloads it, that could lead to legal trouble, especially as you’d then also host it.

          That should only be an issue for media though shouldn’t it, since all plain text can be set up to be e2e.

          The encryption often fails, leading to the meme “Message cannot be decrypted”.

          Is that still the case, I have been using matrix for about a year now and I haven’t ever had an issue sending and receiving except for a day which the vector.org servers were down. I hear that hosting a synapse server is a pain in the ass, but I haven’t gotten around to it yet.

      • Señor Mono@feddit.orgEnglish
        1·
        1 day ago

        Self-hosted and bridged: half a year.

        I quit that experiment and registered an account at a generic instance. Needless to say: it is only me and some public rooms.

        None of my peers engages me there. They really don’t want to waste time with registration, backup keys, and concepts.