5
The Perfect Private Messenger
(lemmy.ml)
AFAIK simplex is the closest we have to perfect privacy.
This is probably the most anonymous way to text.
SimpleX is currently the best one possible.
All the security of signal without needing a phone number.
Everything can be through tor. Contact link can be formed with a one time use code that you DM someone privately.
Anything more advanced and you're basically in internet dead drop territory. An encoded message on a pastebin through tor. Congratulations, you've entered pedophile/terrorist level security realm.
Why not XMPP? Its anonymous, E2EE, etc.
I use XMPP and it's good. SimpleX is even better at anonymising meta data afaik
Simplex does check alot of those boxes... but smp traffic is easily identifiable unless your jumping through the major hoops of establishing a totally anonymous proxy.
An encoded message on a pastebin through tor. Congratulations, you've entered pedophile/terrorist level security realm.
Thats to bad being anonymous and secure puts you in that category. It shouldn't!
Briar, SimpleX, I2Pchat on desktop, maybe LXMF/Reticulum/Sideband over I2P if you want to get techy.
Cwtch is in the same space
Session, Signal, Matrix, and more.
Signal is far from perfect but its good enough for me.
Love signal but it's NOT anonymous
Edit: signal. Not simpkex
jami
How does Jami handle offline messages? From understanding its p2p, so both ppl have to be online right?
from my knowladge it stores the message on the senders device until the other person js online then sends it
Lot of people mentioning SimpleX but I can't imagine trying to make someone go online at the same time as me to start sending each other messages without being annoyed. It also relies on funding from the British state IIRC.
On the other hand XMPP is a W3C internet standard, the server is super lightweight, plenty of tools and bridges work with it. Movim uses it, which is like an encrypted Mastodon where you can selectively make a post public but otherwise gates everything behind a login. Also you can send messages on the main phone network with the paid Cheogram service, but I realize that an unencrypted SMS relay is not a priority for everyone. I think it's the bee's knees.
Simplex works async. You might be thinking of briar
I don't understand how every person responding to me has missed that I said "start chatting" not "continue chatting" but I will be idiot-proofing my lemmy comments from here on out, it's exhausting
Such a high horse for such a tiny person.
- On simplex you can "start chatting" asynchronously
- You didn't say "start chatting". You said "start sending messages" which is something you do with people every day
- "Start chatting" and "continue chatting" do not mean what you imply the mean. There is no distinction between them as "the absolute first time" and "all the others". I can start talking again with a friend I haven't talked to in months. I can also start talking about a previous topi (" me and my girlfriend started talking once again about having children")
So... You know... Maybe get off the horse? It's not that everyone around you is an idiot is that you failed to communicate... Or you are an idiot
Lot of people mentioning SimpleX but I can't imagine trying to make someone go online at the same time as me to start sending each other messages without being annoyed.
Do you just keep your phone off or do you not use your IM clients there? Literally never had this issue with simplex, it deliveres notifications just fine to my phone.
Though I did manually have to give it notification perms on android. Annoying but very easy fix.
SimpleX?
Tox would also be fantastic, but they need to improve their encryption and get it audited. Also, some nicer UIs in the various clients would be nice.
I would still like to understand why Jami is never mentioned in these posts. I'm not aware of any technical or security objections, and the less I hear about Jami, the more concerned I become about using it.
Your own xmpp server
I host one but the more I analyze privacy implications the worse it looks.
Only you and maybe 10 other people will connect to that server's IP, port 5222. This makes it very easy to track your group by telco operators and people who have access to their logs.
Even if you use a VPN or Tor at all times, most of your other users likely don't.
And the domain is registered to someone's name too, although I know this can be worked around.
How is that anonymous?
Because no one will ever send you a message
~/s it was a joke. Hold you horses xmpp fans. Im not attacking anyone here~
Matrix gets a lot of flak from people for their constant protocol changes, de-facto centralization around matrix.org and Element etc... but I'm very happy with Matrix as an open, federated, encrypted and private messenger and I hope it gets more adoption.
Matrix is convenient, not perfect security in any way.
this post was submitted on 16 Oct 2025
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