You should not use it ! Xmpp is the answer with its few issues and matrix requires hell of system resources as well.

> I assume that Meta has a backdoor into WhatsApp conversations

They don't need a back door when they control the front door: the app. End-to-end encryption doesn't protect the endpoints.

(In other words, your concern is warranted.)

Self-hosted Matrix with all the bridges is awesome and brings back that Pidgin/Adium life of one chat app for all of my friends. Too bad Apple has an uncanny ability to avoid consequences with iMessage.

Signal doesn't have a web interface, but being able to use a desktop app is OK for me.

The big downside for me is not being able to use it on two devices. All the other services, privacy concerns or not can now do this. It's one reason why I stopped donating to / advocating for signal.

You mean you access all these on Matrix/Element via the bridge? Or you actually mean you convinced all of them to ditch their chat apps and migrate to Matrix, or at least install Element as well in addition to the other ones? It’s a feat if it’s the latter without or without ditching. Is this a very privacy conscious demographic?

For me the issue was contact names tbh. Is that solved? It used to be that the contact name was set by the contact and not by me/my address book.

Wasn't there a big falling out between the Matrix team and Element or am I misremembering what happened?

There are ways to get web interfaces for Signal.

But I think the bigger issue is that any platform that controls the javascript sent to you from a web page, can also backdoor/MITM/inject malicious code at any time without you knowing.

>lol Telegram

Did I miss something? what's wrong with telegram?