How to chat with me (and any other person) without Facebook or Skype

Instructions first.

1. Install one of the programs that support jabber (also called XMPP, means the same thing) and OTR encryption. There's plenty, all free software: Pidgin (Windows, Linux; for Pidgin also install plugin for OTR encryption), Adium (Mac), ChatSecure (Android, iOS), etc.
2. Pick a server from the list of free jabber servers, and from within the program you've just installed, create an account on that server (account type: XMPP/jabber).
3. Boom. Add my jabber address to your contacts there or email me your jabber address, and we can chat.

Why?

• Because this way we can have end-to-end encryption, which means they won't be able to read our chats.
• Because we are free to use any program and OS we want (and it doesn't have to be the same OS and program for both of us).
• Because we can even have location anonymity if we want.
• Because we aren't forced to register on Facebook or trust our computer to closed-source programs like Skype to speak to each other.
• Because we aren't locked to a particular server or company to speak to each other.
• Because people like Ed Snowden use it.

More info

• Detailed step-by-step guide for using Pidgin with OTR on Windows.
• Detailed step-by-step guide for using Adium with OTR on Mac.
• Detailed step-by-step guide for using ChatSecure on Android.
• Hardcore guide to chatting anonymously with Tor, jabber and OTR.

Video calls?

Sure. I just send you a link, you open it in Firefox, Chrome (or Chromium), or Opera, and we talk. End-to-end encryption by the way. This is called Firefox Hello (and runs on WebRTC - open standard). Alternatively, we may use Jitsi.

#jabber #xmpp #chat

https://gitlab.com/yurb/shareable-notes/blob/master/how-to-chat-without-facebook.md

Feed: https://diasp.eu/p/3415932