Magdeburg's New Messenger: Safe, Open and No Advertising!

Magdeburg's New Messenger: Safe, Open and No Advertising!

At a time when privacy and data protection are more in focus than ever, the “Softwerke” association is taking a new path: with its own messenger service based on Matrix technology, the Magdeburgers want to offer a secure and user-friendly alternative to common apps such as WhatsApp. How MDR reports, experts from the association explained the advantages of an open messenger in a workshop at “in:takt”. It was particularly emphasized that this type of service collects less data from the user. Due to the introduction of advertising, WhatsApp is struggling with the problem that users are increasingly turning to alternatives.

One workshop participant who switched to Signal confirmed that he doesn't miss anything without WhatsApp - a clear sign that change is possible. Nevertheless, it turns out that it is a certain challenge to lure the general public away from WhatsApp. Another participant even reported that he forwards birthday greetings from WhatsApp to Signal via his wife, which illustrates the obvious dependence on the popular platform.

Growing need for alternatives

What's particularly notable is that many people are willing to have multiple bank cards, but are unwilling to install another messenger app on their phone. This discrepancy shows that a change in thinking is necessary to promote self-determination and control over personal data. The topic is diverse and was also obvious in the discussion during the workshop, where the main focus was on the need to find alternatives and use them.

More and more people are realizing how important digital self-determination is. Loud Messenger Matrix There are numerous alternatives that do not require advertising and at the same time offer more data protection. These voices for alternatives are becoming louder and louder, especially since WhatsApp has been striving for interoperability with other services since March 2024, but without enabling full international exchange.

What makes a good messenger?

The criteria for a good messenger are complex. The messenger matrix does not take platforms such as Microsoft Teams or Slack into account, but rather focuses on services with a certain level of distribution and a high level of security. Messengers must be open source to ensure transparency and provide basic features such as encryption. This ensures that users can keep their chats truly private, which is often not the case with providers like Facebook or Google, where messages are often stored without end-to-end encryption.

• Signal: Bietet standardmäßig Ende-zu-Ende-Verschlüsselung und die Nutzung unter Pseudonym.
• Threema: Kostenpflichtig, anonym und speichert Daten nur auf Wunsch.
• Ginlo: Anonym nutzbar, keine personenbezogenen Daten erforderlich.
• Telegram: Möglichkeit für geheime Chats, jedoch Speicherung auf Servern möglich.

In summary, one can say that users should think about their digital security. The discussion about more appropriate alternatives and control over personal data is more relevant than ever. It remains to be seen whether and how many people are willing to take the step and break away from large providers such as WhatsApp in order to use secure and open messenger services.