But it’s a free Europe-based provider that’s not US big tech. A better suggestion?

To be clear, I use a paid service (Mailbox.org) for my main email, as everyone should do.

They are right. Terminology is important in this discussion.

It’s considered a good idea because it runs over omnipresent, already-existent, distributed infrastructure. In other words, for this particular chat app, you don’t even need to create an account. That is at very least an interesting and noteworthy feature.

some issues with many email providers

This turned out to be the deal-breaker for me. GMX kept locking me out of my account because of the DeltaChat messages. They’re (of course) full of cyphertext and to email providers this must look a look like spam.

The open-to-abuse nature of email claims yet another victim.

Using this thing right here as an RSS reader! TIL.

mongabay@rss.ponder.cat - Mongabay

An excellent source that I’m ashamed I only discovered recently. Consistently first-rate independent journalism on literally the most important subjects there are. Should be better known. Read. Donate.

Great other choices too.

It’s owned by Brian Acton

No, he is a founder and a donor. It’s owned by the Signal Foundation, which is a classic non-profit that seeks funding from lots of sources.

Yeah but you see the point? They offer us one option. We offer them ten.

“You don’t have any of them installed? Well, I don’t have Whatsapp installed. So one of us is going to have to go out of our way. Why should you assume that’s for me to do, just because everyone else including you behaved like an unthinking herd of sheep?” That’s what I feel like saying, and occasionally do actually say.

It’s a difficult conundrum. Speaking personally, but at this point resisting the Whatsapp fascism has become a stubborn article of faith for me. I won’t do it.

Good point. Theoretically surmountable because Wikipedia.

But donors are going to have to be convinced that social media is a social good.

While Masturdon was ripe for the picking