cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/26584999
I’ve decided to make some significant changes in my digital life. I’ve taken the plunge and am rooting out most US-based services from my usage list. This includes canceling all my streaming subscriptions, putting my Reddit account in cold storage, and deleting my Twitter accounts. Additionally, I’m in the process of removing my presence from Meta platforms. This shift is part of my effort to simplify and re-evaluate my online habits and dependencies.
One of the primary reasons for this change is the importance of bolstering the EU economy. By supporting European companies and services, I believe we can foster innovation and growth within our own region. This not only strengthens our economic independence but also encourages the development of solutions tailored to our specific needs and values.
In my exploration of EU-based alternatives, I’ve found that while they may be slightly more expensive, they often offer superior technology and usability. The focus on quality, privacy, and user experience in many European products aligns with my personal values and expectations. By investing in these solutions, I’m not only supporting local businesses but also benefiting from advanced and reliable services.
This transition is about more than just personal preference; it’s about contributing to a stronger, more self-sufficient European digital landscape. I’m excited to continue discovering and integrating more EU-based services into my daily life.
Despite the costs and effort needed to make this change, I would like to encourage and motivate everyone else considering doing the same. It will undoubtedly be tough for a while, but if we push forward together, it will be better for all of us in the end. Let’s support each other in this journey towards a more independent and innovative digital future.
Why not Signal?
I think because they’re located on the US.
because it is a centralized service from US company, registration requires phone numbers so it is easy to know from what country you are, the server is running in Amazon Web Services, etc, while ArcaneChat can be used with your own infrastructure, for total technological sovereignty
I’d trade US servers for a more secure, anonymous and trusted messenger a hundret times over.
Arcane has 100 stars on Github, the server has 3. Their code is not documented at all. They have like ten contributers. Metadata is not encrypted. They don’t mention anywhere what they use for encryping your chats. I don’t trust this one bit.
you don’t need to trust, you can self-host your own server and read/modify the code, unlike in a centralized server where you don’t even know what is actually running on the server, which is well know from the past to not match the actual released code for the case of Signal
all this is documented inside the app in the offline help/FAQ that comes with it, the app is targeted to end users that don’t know or care about such topics so it is avoided to talk too much about encryption up-front
ArcaneChat is a fork of DeltaChat client, DeltaChat has been audited several times, you could also use the official Delta Chat client: https://delta.chat/