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What really disappoints me about the current crop of VC funded messaging apps is that none of them care very strongly about user privacy. Even apps that claim t

What really disappoints me about the current crop of VC funded messaging apps is that none of them care very strongly about user privacy. Even apps that claim to keep your messages "encrypted" are closed source and don't include details about their encryption techniques. There are open source encrypted messaging apps like ChatSecure [1][2], and TextSecure [3] but they lack some of the modern vanity features that users expect and they can seem difficult to setup for an average user. 1. https://github.com/chrisballinger/Off-the-Record-iOS https://github.com/chrisballinger/Off-the-Record-iOS 2. https://github.com/guardianproject/ChatSecureAndroid https://github.com/guardianproject/ChatSecureAndroid 3. https://github.com/WhisperSystems/TextSecure/ https://github.com/WhisperSystems/TextSecure/

Guest9821 13y ago
It's amazing the most crucial applications in our day to day lives are absolutely awful. Why is there not a great messenger application available, that's simple, well designed, and secures our data? Why is there not a proper alternative to Skype, offering free group video calling, while protecting our privacy? Why does e-mail feel so dated and sloppy? I sent out a handful of e-mails last week, my mail server said they were sent, but none of the recipients received them. I sent another message to a friend the other month, and she missed it because it went to her spam folder. Why do I even receive spam? I know you can setup a whitelist only, but why isn't this more of a standard, where I build a contact list with friends, and we can leave messages back and forth, receive proper confirmation they're received, read, etc. It would be nice if I could login to my e-mail, and see I have 20 friends, 10 sites that are able to message me, and then manage that list by adding or removing. We have some incredible apps and software out there, but the most important ones are those lacking the most.
- gaius 13y ago
  It exists: BBM.
- cdcarter 13y ago
  > I know you can setup a whitelist only, but why isn't this more of a standard, where I build a contact list with friends, and we can leave messages back and forth, receive proper confirmation they're received, read, etc. It would be nice if I could login to my e-mail, and see I have 20 friends, 10 sites that are able to message me, and then manage that list by adding or removing. This actually is pretty much how Facebook messaging works.
brickcap 13y ago
sorry for the self promotion.I am working on wrinq a meesaging service that values privacy. You can check it out here http://www.wrinq.com/ http://www.wrinq.com/
brickcap 13y ago
sorry for the self promotion. I am working on a messagin service that values privacy. Check out wrinq http://www.wrinq.com/ http://www.wrinq.com/
fraserharris 13y ago
Not encryption, but: Kik does not save messages on their server. After some # of messages (100?), they disappear in the client as well.
mahyarm 13y ago
ChatSecure is a crashy mess, TextSecure is android only and requires a phone number, you can't use tablets. I'm looking forward to the CryptoCat clients that are supposedly being released this month, it might be an actual usable mobile OTR client for both iOS and Android.

Guest9821 13y ago

It's amazing the most crucial applications in our day to day lives are absolutely awful. Why is there not a great messenger application available, that's simple, well designed, and secures our data? Why is there not a proper alternative to Skype, offering free group video calling, while protecting our privacy? Why does e-mail feel so dated and sloppy? I sent out a handful of e-mails last week, my mail server said they were sent, but none of the recipients received them. I sent another message to a friend the other month, and she missed it because it went to her spam folder. Why do I even receive spam? I know you can setup a whitelist only, but why isn't this more of a standard, where I build a contact list with friends, and we can leave messages back and forth, receive proper confirmation they're received, read, etc. It would be nice if I could login to my e-mail, and see I have 20 friends, 10 sites that are able to message me, and then manage that list by adding or removing. We have some incredible apps and software out there, but the most important ones are those lacking the most.

gaius 13y ago
It exists: BBM.
cdcarter 13y ago
> I know you can setup a whitelist only, but why isn't this more of a standard, where I build a contact list with friends, and we can leave messages back and forth, receive proper confirmation they're received, read, etc. It would be nice if I could login to my e-mail, and see I have 20 friends, 10 sites that are able to message me, and then manage that list by adding or removing. This actually is pretty much how Facebook messaging works.

brickcap 13y ago

sorry for the self promotion.I am working on wrinq a meesaging service that values privacy. You can check it out here http://www.wrinq.com/ http://www.wrinq.com/

brickcap 13y ago

sorry for the self promotion. I am working on a messagin service that values privacy. Check out wrinq http://www.wrinq.com/ http://www.wrinq.com/

fraserharris 13y ago

Not encryption, but: Kik does not save messages on their server. After some # of messages (100?), they disappear in the client as well.

mahyarm 13y ago

ChatSecure is a crashy mess, TextSecure is android only and requires a phone number, you can't use tablets. I'm looking forward to the CryptoCat clients that are supposedly being released this month, it might be an actual usable mobile OTR client for both iOS and Android.