Matrix does not require a centralized identity server (which exists only for optionally discovering users on Matrix based on their email/phone numbers). The li

Matrix does not require a centralized identity server (which exists only for optionally discovering users on Matrix based on their email/phone numbers). The linked gist is loudly complaining (amongst other things) that Riot's default config points at a centralised one by default. We've already fixed this (https://github.com/vector-im/riot-web/issues/10553 https://github.com/vector-im/riot-web/issues/10553) by simply removing the concept of default identity servers entirely and instead prompting the user to select on demand whichever one they want to use, if they actually try to look up a user based on email/phone. It should be released in Riot 1.4 (on Web, and equivalent ones on mobile etc) in the coming weeks. You can see our response to that original gist at https://matrix.org/blog/2019/06/30/tightening-up-privacy-in-matrix https://matrix.org/blog/2019/06/30/tightening-up-privacy-in-..., and you can track progress over at https://vector-im.github.io/feature-dashboard/#/plan?label=privacy-sprint&repo=vector-im/riot-web&repo=vector-im/riot-ios&repo=vector-im/riot-android&repo=vector-im/riotX-android&repo=matrix-org/matrix-doc&repo=matrix-org/sydent&repo=matrix-org/synapse https://vector-im.github.io/feature-dashboard/#/plan?label=p... (which has a cache from yesterday published at https://matrix.org/~matthew/privacy-sprint.html https://matrix.org/~matthew/privacy-sprint.html).