Notwithstanding a MITM attack, the pipes are secure enough, provided you are properly using encryption. If an app stores any sort of data unencrypted on a centr

Notwithstanding a MITM attack, the pipes are secure enough, provided you are properly using encryption. If an app stores any sort of data unencrypted on a centralized server, that data is potentially accessible to others who can compromise that server. This makes endpoints a piece of critical importance. When you self-host your data, you can patch that hole in the armour so to speak, because the endpoint falls under your control. Coupled with encryption, it's a massive deterrent to eavesdropping. In brief: it doesn't solve every Internet eavesdropping problem known to man, no. But it solves a very substantial one that hasn't really been tackled to date.