If we’re talking about mobile apps only then ntfy, Fluffy Chat, KDE Connect, Nextcloud, Tuta, Protonmail, Session, Conversations, Organic Maps, Fedilab, Mull, DAVx and KeePassDX.

I am on a grandfathered Tuta plan that costs me about $2 CAD a month. I also pay for Proton’s premium plan. Both are worth it to me. I get that everybody has a budget but at the same time 10 Euros a year is a tight one when dealing with privacy friendly alternatives.

I use the TOTP option in KeePassXC and KeePassDX to handle 2FA duties. I backup the encrypted file to my Nextcloud. If you self host Nextcloud or something similar this is a viable option.

I have gotten tech minded friends to switch with some success. Getting my wife to switch to privacy friendly communications with me was easy in that I did all of the leg work. I setup her accounts and installed the apps. As far as she was concerned the phone came with XMPP, Matrix and Tuta.

Reading this for the first time now. Going to need a new camera app…

I have switched my comunications to anything else. XMPP, Matrix, Session, Jami, etc. I text as little as I can. No matter the app the messages still go to my carrier.

I have tried both Jerboa and lemmur. I don’t mind either but both have given me issues logging in from tiem to time.

I have used DivestOS on my Pixel 2 for a while now so I donated. Glad to see the fundraising was successful.

I take it not as a nightmare but a challenge.

I’ve never used a VPN where I didn’t get a big drop in speed. Privacy and security don’t mesh well with speed in most cases.

But who monitors the monitors ?

Sounds like more reasons to not use Reddit. No sympathy for those this effects.

I use uBlock Origin; Jshelter; and Privacy Badger. I don’t even see ads.

Neither really. Telegram is closed source on the servers and is known to cooperate with governments and law enforcement. Signal is the better option but I refuse to use an app that requires my phone number when alternatives like Matrix; XMPP; and Session exist. My phone number is tied to my name; address; and payment methods. It’s not a small ask of Signal in my opinion.

Biometrics is a terrible idea all around.

People who decide what software to use based on what others will label them as are cowards.

I think VPN’s are not a magic bullet but they serve a purpose.

I use ProtonVPN and am happy but not sure if they allow port forwarding.

I already use Trisquel; libre kernel; Abrowser; DivestOS; SearXNG; Nextcloud; Matrix; XMPP; Session; Odysee and Peertube; KeePassXC; Tutanota and Protonmail; ProtonVPN. Not sure How much further I can go without going with a Talos II.

On my desktop/laptop I use Abrowser. On mobile I use Mull. You could say I have been doing my part for years but thanks for joining me.

Jitsi would be my choice.

https://meet.jit.si/

Signal requires a phone number which is a non starter for me. I refuse to bend to that. I’ll stick with Session; XMPP; Matrix; etc.

My question regarding stuff like this is how do they know ? iOS is totally closed source. Even if Androidf isn’t perfect it has some open parts to it. Also you can use a DeGoogled OS which you have zero options for something similar on iOS. No closed source OS should be considered private or secure in my books.

Have you tried Pixelfed ?

https://pixelfed.org/

I use Simple File Manager Pro myself. It’s available on F-Droid. The code is licesned using GPLv3.0.

https://f-droid.org/en/packages/com.simplemobiletools.filemanager.pro/

I use SearXNG.

You can pick an instance from here:

https://searx.space/

I use https://searx.namejeff.xyz/ myself because it’s based out of Switzerland and gets good grades.

I use KeePassXC. It allows me to have strong passwords; it supports 2FA; and I can backup the key databases.

My issue with closed source is we don’t know if it is insecure or secure because nobody can find out. It’s a pandora’s box of privacy and security. It may be the most private and secure code known to man or it may be sending anything and everything about you somewhere but we’ll never really know. As for public audits who picks who gets to audit the code ? The company who made it ? You can do as you please but I refuse to trust closed source code. I’m not saying all open source code is good but at least we can find out if it’s good or not through independant means rather than trusting people that the company who made it picks to tell us.

What keeps me from using Telegram is the server side is closed source; they have been known to work with governments; and been willing to censor content. There are enough better options that I have zero use for them.

While I can’t say I would have use for it myself I wish you luck and will spread it around where I can.

You can say how FOSS programs don’t equate to privacy because people may not catch things or be watching but with closed source options nobody gets to audit the code at all outside the project. How is that better for privacy ? FOSS at least gives us a chance at privacy.

I use an unnoficial Bitwarden app on Ubuntu Touch. I would prefer KeePassXC or KeePassDX as my go to password managers but have found no reason to distrust Bitwarden thus far.

Telegram is closed source on the server side. I don’t trust it. Lots of better options:

https://alternativeto.net/software/telegram/?license=opensource

I don’t use software made by the likes of Meta. I have plenty of better Twitter alternatives that I trust more.

I use Matrix; XMPP; Session; Jami; and am looking into Briar. Some of what the article says is valid but other parts are weird such as when they list Riot as “the Matrix client”. Matrix has many clients. I don’t use Riot at all. I use Fluffy Chat and Cinny Mainly. A lot of their list of issues don’t apply to me. For instance my phone number isn’t tied to my Matrix account and while they may get my IP I am usually on a VPN so that limits what they get. They talk of Matrix being centralized but that only really applies if you use the Matrix home server, there are many alternatives.

In the end they have some valid concerns but it really depends on what Matrix is being compared to. Even with these issues is it betetr than Discord for privacy and security ? Yes it is. Discord is clsoed source so nobody knows what it gives up or does in the background. No closed source program can be trusted over a FOSS option. If you want to trust any of the options I mentioned over Matrix then feel free to but don’t trust Discord over it.

I use both Tutanota and Protonmail and love both. Protonmail is based out of Switzerland where Tutanota is based out of Germany. Germany is part of fourteen eyes so I give the win to Proton there. Tutanota has lower prices. Tutanota has apps available in App Image and Flatpak for Linux where Proton is only in the AUR and as a .deb. Tutanota has an Android app on F-Droid where Protonmail you have to navigate their site to find a standalone apk. Both are on the Fediverse but Proton did leave for a while where Tutanota stayed and was more active. Overall both are good choices.

Your article neither lists what it deems as good alternatives to Linux; nor does it specifically say that what advice I gave was bad. It also lists people at the end as credible views of which half work for Google. Overall I don’t view your article as able to be trustworthy or really changes any views I have.

I don’t use Youtube; Chrome; or Google Search. I use Abrowser which doesn’t play with DRM so I don’t visit those sites. I use Ublock origin; Jshelter; Privacy Badger; and LibReDirect. I did this for years before even coming to this thread. It’s as simple as making choices which support your values. Google and the like will never change to support your values. Just ditch them and change your behavior.

Quitting from sites you despise is a better option than hopping from frontend to frontend in my view.

I already have enough content to watch between Peertube and Odysee. Youtube is dead to me.