Phone number privacy and usernames are now rolling out to everyone using Signal version 7.0! Update your app to take advantage of these new features 🎇
https://signal.org/blog/phone-number-privacy-usernames/
Matrix isn’t private at all. All metadata is shared+stored by both your server and mine (no sealed sender). Encryption is worse (no double-ratchet) and there’s no guarantee of encryption at all (some clients don’t even offer it). It’s also a lot harder to get set up and IMO the clients are much worse.
In addition to what the other user said, usernames are both optional and easy to change in order to prevent spammers from finding you. Plus, they can only make so many accounts themselves, with the phone number limitation in tow.
For me it can replace DMs everywhere. Put your username in your profile and get actually secure DMs.
Wasn’t this what Matrix was for?
Matrix isn’t private at all. All metadata is shared+stored by both your server and mine (no sealed sender). Encryption is worse (no double-ratchet) and there’s no guarantee of encryption at all (some clients don’t even offer it). It’s also a lot harder to get set up and IMO the clients are much worse.
But wouldn’t that just put you at risk of spam and other malicious messages?
Don’t accept the message/block them? Same as any other DM system. Or just change your username.
In addition to what the other user said, usernames are both optional and easy to change in order to prevent spammers from finding you. Plus, they can only make so many accounts themselves, with the phone number limitation in tow.