[HN Gopher] Donate to Signal
___________________________________________________________________
Donate to Signal
Author : nanna
Score : 389 points
Date : 2021-01-07 11:30 UTC (11 hours ago)
(HTM) web link (signal.org)
(TXT) w3m dump (signal.org)
| amatecha wrote:
| I would probably actually donate if they stopped doing user-
| hostile things like not letting me get at my conversations unless
| I set a profile name.
| Forbo wrote:
| The counterpoint to this is all the people throwing a fit over
| having to use phone numbers.
| amatecha wrote:
| Yeah, I mean I don't care what the primary identifier for a
| user is. It started out with phone numbers which I was okay
| with at the time (since I only chat with ppl who I'd be okay
| sharing my cell# with anyways), though I now see it as a
| potential privacy concern. But the idea of forcing me to
| submit a personal piece of information (the name field cannot
| just be an empty space) doesn't correlate with "privacy" and
| security that they so strongly portray as their priorities.
| The fact I can't even access the app anymore unless I
| populate the First Name field with some kind of text --
| information I'm never going to share with another user
| anyways -- is really disappointing and frustrating.
| Forbo wrote:
| There's nothing stopping you from using a pseudonym, or
| even a single emoji as a "name".
| WhoCaresLies wrote:
| no
| as1mov wrote:
| I've never used Signal so forgive me if I am mistaken but is it
| possible to self-host Signal servers?
| eeZah7Ux wrote:
| No, and you are not even allowed to fork and modify their
| client that connects to the official Signal servers.
|
| Also you cannot put their client on f-droid.
|
| It's by far the most locked-down "open source" I've seen.
| zaggynl wrote:
| Technically, yes, but you'll be limited to people connecting to
| your own Signal server from what I've read.
|
| https://github.com/signalapp/Signal-Server
| jhasse wrote:
| There's no federation, so even if it was possible I don't see
| why you would want to do it.
| as1mov wrote:
| Ah that's a bummer really. I am just kinda skeptical of
| centralized services. Relying on the benevolence of a single
| party for your communication is risky.
|
| E: This probably goes for all the chat services which are
| even mildly popular (WhatsApp, Telegram, Signal, Threema
| etc.). Matrix seems to be an exception.
| mainstreemm wrote:
| Matrix states that they are an exception but the standard
| and the implementation-reference clients are all under the
| control of New Vector LLC, almost everyone uses the
| centralized identity server run by New Vector, and by far
| the largest homeserver is the public one also run by New
| Vector and so they aren't really any different.
|
| The difference is all marketing. The "Matrix protocol
| standard" would be more honestly called the Synapse API.
|
| All of the risks that apply to OWS/Signal due to its
| architecture and corporate ownership structure apply to New
| Vector/Matrix as well.
| upofadown wrote:
| Then don't forget about the federated XMPP which is
| probably more popular than Matrix.
| Mediterraneo10 wrote:
| Signal's founder Moxie Marlinspike is famously anti-
| federation. His argument is that communication will break
| down as some clients implement some features, while other
| clients don't. Your client has no guarantees that the
| client on the other end will understand what it sends.
| Moxie points to the chaotic state of XMPP clients and
| servers as an example of this. So, he calls for a single
| client connecting to a single server where everyone agrees
| on what functionality is present.
| GekkePrutser wrote:
| Yeah this is my main beef with Signal. I don't want to
| end up in yet another walled garden. I see much more
| benefit to the open standard approach that made the
| internet great. Matrix is where it's at for me.
| 1_player wrote:
| Why he thinks centralisation is best:
| https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nj3YFprqAr8
|
| (Title: 36C3 - The ecosystem is moving)
|
| To me, it's a sound argument and he's convinced me.
| Fighting the status quo by constantly improving in a
| short amount of time is incompatible with
| decentralisation. It's the same reason e-mail hasn't been
| able to change and improve, or encrypted email still
| isn't practical, but I'll leave the meat of the argument
| to that video.
| [deleted]
| stblack wrote:
| I did not like the funnel at this link, so I did not donate.
|
| You want me to yield personal information like my email address
| BEFORE disclosing what the payment options are? No thank you.
|
| I don't care who you are, be up-front about what's ahead before
| harvesting me.
| ffpip wrote:
| You can give any email to find out what are your payment
| options.
|
| https://i.imgur.com/XeSFpRG.png
|
| You've probably given Signal your real phone number to use the
| app. Email should hardly be any more private.
|
| Even if you used a burner phone, getting a temp email is a
| million times easier. I couldve generated 50 working email
| addresses in the time I wrote this comment.
| firebaze wrote:
| Consider Threema also, please. No phone number required, super-
| easy to connect with your friends. I'm not affiliated in any way.
|
| https://threema.ch/en
| toomuchtodo wrote:
| If you're interested in donating to Signal, your employer might
| offer matching your donation. Something to look in to.
|
| Edit: Non profit 501(c)(3) donation matching is a common US
| employee benefit.
| vips7L wrote:
| Why would anyone's employer do this?
| abawany wrote:
| Often the company gets kudos from the charity for matching
| employee donations, in addition to the tax deduction for the
| amount they match.
| acct776 wrote:
| Because they use Signal to secure work comms, and it's a
| steal even with a donation of _n_ amount?
|
| Or was this snark?
| mikestew wrote:
| Because it's a 501(3)(c) non-profit foundation? Why do you
| ask the question, this is standard stuff in the U. S.?
| tokamak-teapot wrote:
| They may not be in or from the US or know much about the
| US.
| mikestew wrote:
| Hence my question: they could also just be snarky, and
| hence a waste of time to give a more detailed answer.
| [deleted]
| rvz wrote:
| No.
|
| Given that Signal requires a phone number to sign up and one can
| still be a victim to SIM-swapping attacks? I don't think so.
|
| Get rid of phone number sign-in and we can talk.
| zoobab wrote:
| Telegram dude.
| Moru wrote:
| Yes, right now you still need a phonenumber but they are
| working on a solution without needing a phone.
| Forbo wrote:
| You can protect yourself from SIM swapping by setting a
| registration PIN in the app.
| topkeks wrote:
| I always wonder if these Signal FUD spreaders are Russian or
| Chinese.
| [deleted]
| henriquez wrote:
| Signal is a great service, not just because of the security, but
| just functionality alone. Being able to make free international
| phone calls is great, and the audio quality is better than any
| cell phone call. I don't "agree" with all of the philosophical or
| technical decisions behind the app but really believe it's worthy
| of support.
| ur-whale wrote:
| Is there a way to donate anonymously via monero, zcash, grim,
| beam, etc...?
| JumpCrisscross wrote:
| > _Is there a way to donate anonymously via monero, zcash,
| grim, beam, etc...?_
|
| These organizations have enough going on. It would be a waste
| of donor capital to add defending against money laundering
| inquiries to the list.
| pmlnr wrote:
| Nah. You need to donate real money.
| ur-whale wrote:
| > Nah. You need to donate real money.
|
| You mean gold?
|
| Or are you talking about the toilet paper handed out freely
| by the USG in 2020?
| recursive wrote:
| Most retailers were rationing TP in 2020. If only customers
| knew.
| colinmhayes wrote:
| https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iKYKLgzyF9o
| ur-whale wrote:
| I believe you've already posted that video of Bernanke
| making an a__s out of himself.
| sdwolfz wrote:
| I wish Signal would also sell something, anything, but _sell_ it:
| t-shirts, plushies /pillows, paid sticker packs, a "PRO" logo
| next to your name in your contacts list (to satisfy your vanity),
| a fake "license" that marks you as a supporter (gpg key signature
| of your name or something like that).
|
| This is a criticism I give to all FOSS projects trying to raise
| money, sell me stuff, it's easier to justify an expense than a
| donation, especially if I pay it through my company.
| EdwinLarkin wrote:
| I hate it that we have degraded software into adware or begware.
| Mediterraneo10 wrote:
| Signal is developed by a non-profit foundation. It comes with
| no ads or in-program begging, the community is just supposed to
| know that there is a foundation out there that has to be kept
| afloat. Really, this is no different from FSF/GNU development
| for decades now.
| skrowl wrote:
| How else do you pay for developers / servers?
|
| Everyone that makes software should just sell it for profit, or
| give it away at a loss?
| EdwinLarkin wrote:
| We have killed direct sales / SaaS for some types of software
| (because of corps giving it out for free)
| robjan wrote:
| The free alternatives are paid for with your data. The
| whole point of signal is that they don't have your data.
|
| Nobody is forcing you to pay for it.
| acct776 wrote:
| GP wants to pay...
| laughingbovine wrote:
| Is this news?
| frabjoused wrote:
| Musk Tweeted to use Signal, so it might be getting a major
| spike in downloads.
| [deleted]
| skrowl wrote:
| Somewhat off topic, but is Signal still tough to use if you have
| > 1 device?
|
| It used to require you to backup / restore and you couldn't just
| start a chat on your work computer, continue it on your phone,
| then continue it on your home computer, while still being able to
| see the full history on all 3 devices.
|
| It was a dealbreaker for me.
| Mediterraneo10 wrote:
| Now all chats are automatically sync'ed in real time across
| devices, provided that those devices are all connected to the
| internet (otherwise they sync upon connecting to internet).
|
| The only drawback I have found is that if desktop Signal is
| running on my computer, but I'm away somewhere else in town and
| have my phone with me, I miss calls (but not text messages).
| Only the Signal on my desktop rings when I'm called, while the
| phone doesn't ring.
| 1_player wrote:
| > Only the Signal on my desktop rings when I'm called, while
| the phone doesn't ring.
|
| Doesn't https://signal.org/blog/ice-forking/ deal with that?
| Hasn't it been implemented yet?
|
| I've had the desktop app open all day, and answered a Signal
| call on my phone earlier. I'll do more tests.
|
| EDIT: just tested it, phone rang, I answered on desktop.
| Seems to work as intended.
| 0-_-0 wrote:
| It doesn't ring but it shows an incoming call, however you
| can't pick up. The green button does nothing.
| mainstreemm wrote:
| I had a bad time with this a little over a year ago and stopped
| using Signal over it.
|
| If my phone was off and I used Signal Desktop in the meantime,
| when I turned my phone back on the sync would often take as
| long as half an hour, with my phone buzzing for each message
| received during the duration in which I was online.
|
| I contacted support and, well, it's a free product, what do you
| expect?
|
| I stopped using it after I received a text message from my
| then-fiance about a medical diagnosis and couldn't call her
| back until Signal stopped overloading my phone. Awful. Purged
| from my device and I never recommend them anymore.
| Malp wrote:
| Nope. I use it pretty heavily, and the only time I had an issue
| was when I added a new device and had some de-sync issues in
| the first 5 minutes. Otherwise, it's been a very smooth
| experience.
| ohlookabird wrote:
| I am using Signal 50% on the phone and 50% on the desktop and
| they complement each other well, I don't run into problems. The
| histories are in sync and the only thing I found annoying so
| far is the start-up time for the desktop version.
| vips7L wrote:
| I only wish the desktop app would let me send SMS.
| Mediterraneo10 wrote:
| SMS is sent by interfacing with your phone's modem which is
| connected to the mobile phone network. How would a desktop
| app be able to do that, except for that tiny minority of
| users who have a computer that can take a SIM card directly
| for connectivity?
| ajsnigrutin wrote:
| The phone app could sync with the desktop app. You type
| an sms to the desktop, it syncs with the mobile app,
| mobile phone sends the sms, gets the reply, and the reply
| is synced to the desktop app.
| Mediterraneo10 wrote:
| This would require your phone to be connected to the
| internet at the moment you press Enter on the desktop,
| otherwise it could be hours until the SMS goes out. For
| those on prepaid plans, it would also require that you
| have enough credit on that phone to send SMS. Perhaps the
| developers felt that there were too many uncertainties to
| implement this feature; users might have reacted
| negatively if it didn't work for them.
|
| Plus, Signal plans to eventually allow multiple phones to
| be connected to one's account. Then, the question
| becomes: if you sent a SMS from your desktop, which of
| those phones sends the SMS and gets billed by the mobile
| provider for doing so? You might say that a setting could
| be made for that, but any new setting requires changes to
| the UI, too.
| jhasse wrote:
| By talking with the app on your phone and asking it to do
| it.
| GurnBlandston wrote:
| https://messages.google.com/ manages to do it by routing
| the SMS through your phone.
| karmelapple wrote:
| It's totally easy to use now. I bounce between a phone and
| tablet and it's always in sync.
| gbil wrote:
| You are an apple tablet owner I guess as android tablets are
| not supported as linked device :(
| xenocratus wrote:
| I have 4 devices that I use with the same account, in parallel
| and it works like a charm, it's amazing.
| aaomidi wrote:
| I promise I will once I can hide my phone number.
| Vinnl wrote:
| They're working on that, though they want to do it in a way
| that exposes less:
| https://twitter.com/moxie/status/1281353119369097217
| [deleted]
| shliachtx wrote:
| To give via PayPal with no fees for Signal:
| https://www.paypal.com/fundraiser/charity/3675786
| newsbinator wrote:
| I use Signal to audio call friends and family in Belarus, since
| it wasn't blocked this past summer, while Telegram was.
|
| Mind you the entire internet was blocked there for a bit though.
| andrewshadura wrote:
| Better donate to Matrix.org.
| lalos wrote:
| I have Signal as my smile.amazon.com recipient. It's not a lot
| but it averages to a reasonable monthly membership app cost.
| Note: your purchases have to be done through the smile.amazon
| subdomain to be eligible (for mobile apps:
| https://www.amazon.com/b?ie=UTF8&node=15576745011)
| ashleshbiradar wrote:
| Smile seems US-only
| frereubu wrote:
| UK too.
| thg wrote:
| We got it here in Germany too.
| dunefox wrote:
| Germany as well, so no.
| tobib wrote:
| Smile is nice, I wish they offered it in Canada.
| mynameisash wrote:
| Amazon notes[0] that they "will donate 0.5% of the purchase
| price from your eligible AmazonSmile purchases". Looking at my
| purchase history over the last six years, that number is closer
| to 0.25% (presumably because many purchases weren't considered
| eligible).
|
| I still keep my purchases going to my charity of choice, but
| make no mistake: opting for AmazonSmile contributions won't
| move the needle on your charity. You have to make contributions
| directly out of your own wallet. Bonus points if your employer
| will match them.
|
| [0]
| https://smile.amazon.com/gp/chpf/about/ref=smi_se_dshb_aas_s...
| 0-_-0 wrote:
| "All worldwide charities have received PS180,650,306.59 as of
| November 2020" [0]
|
| That might move a needle...
|
| [0] https://smile.amazon.co.uk/gp/chpf/dashboard?ref_=nav_cs_
| smi...
| dunefox wrote:
| > opting for AmazonSmile contributions won't move the needle
| on your charity
|
| It's better than the opposite, which is nothing.
| blacksmith_tb wrote:
| Wouldn't the opposite be giving to those organizations
| directly? I'm not opposed to Smile, but presumably it isn't
| intended to be the only source of funding. Still, like you
| say, it's better than not giving anything.
| mynameisash wrote:
| Sure, it's better than nothing, but I worry that there will
| be people who think that their use of Smile is enough and
| might deter some active giving.
|
| I've funneled tens of thousands of dollars through Amazon
| in six years that resulted in only about $65 of donations,
| so less than $1/mo.
|
| But I also give $100/mo (x2 with my employer match) to the
| same charity. So Smile donations will barely register
| compared with active, intentional giving.
| Wingman4l7 wrote:
| You can additionally use an extension to force your browser to
| always use the smile.amazon subdomain.
| corytheboyd wrote:
| I've always wondered, is there some legitimate reason Amazon
| doesn't just apply the non-profit donation functionality to
| Amazon proper? If not I'm sure we can safely assume "because
| money"
| ahepp wrote:
| I always thought smile was some trick to break referral links
| and avoid paying out. I'm not clear on how it all works, I
| could be completely wrong.
| LukeShu wrote:
| I've been using smile.amazon.com since August 2019, and to date
| I've generated $6.01. I guess I don't use Amazon as much as
| you. It's like, shit, for the amount of trouble I've gone
| through to make sure I'm on smile.amazon.com instead of
| www.amazon.com, I should have just given some money to my
| recipient.
| tokamak-teapot wrote:
| There is some browser plug-in to redirect you there if that
| helps.
|
| I don't know how smile works on the mobile app. Perhaps it
| doesn't.
| LukeShu wrote:
| Indeed, I configured a Redirector[1] rule to do it:
| Redirect: https?://www\.amazon\.com/(.*)
| Pattern type: Regular Expression to:
| https://smile.amazon.com/$1 Applies to: Main
| window (address bar)
|
| [1]: https://addons.mozilla.org/en-
| US/firefox/addon/redirector/
| draebek wrote:
| Smile is available on the iOS Amazon mobile app, but only
| if you allow Amazon to send you promotional notifications.
| lalos wrote:
| It does: https://www.amazon.com/b?ie=UTF8&node=15576745011
| ldrndll wrote:
| How strange. I just checked my Smile account and I've
| generated PS6.01 for my charity (my childrens' school). What
| are the odds...
| cecilpl2 wrote:
| From my perspective, the odds are fairly high that in a
| large group of people, two of them happen to have the same
| Smile account balance.
| ldrndll wrote:
| Sure, but in this case it was a case of me not knowing
| one could check their Smile balance. GP posted their
| balance, prompting me to check mine, and the total was
| the same. That feels more akin to me going into a room
| and the first person I talk to having the same birthday
| as me than just finding 2 people in a room who happen to
| have the same birthday.
| sillysaurusx wrote:
| The situation is probably closer to this: Lots of people
| went into a room and asked someone what their birthday
| is. Only you happened to have the same one, so no one
| else said anything.
|
| But, congrats on using up your luck for the next month or
| so. :)
| [deleted]
| scns wrote:
| I just set z as my search prefix in firefox, send via sync to
| all devices.
| kempbellt wrote:
| TIL: smile.amazon.com and just added Signal Technology
| Foundation. Thanks!
|
| Note: Signal Foundation is officially "Signal Technology
| Foundation", so this appears to be the correct recipient in the
| list on Amazon. Hopefully someone can verify this.
| lalos wrote:
| That's the one.
| stonesweep wrote:
| Data on how much this can generate in aggregate; I chose EFF
| for my 2020 donations and Amazon Smile sent a year-end report
| on 15 Dec. $45,901.14 was donated to EFF in
| 2020 $655,382.45 donated to EFF in total
| $217,644,976.48 to all US charities $237,615,915.89 to
| all global charities
|
| Amounts in USD.
| kremi wrote:
| Somehow, thinking about how much money Besos earns (is it 78
| billions this year? [1]), I find smile's slogan "Experience
| feel-good shopping" a bad joke at best.
|
| [1] https://www.businessinsider.fr/us/what-amazon-ceo-jeff-
| bezos...
| stanford_labrat wrote:
| I never thought smile was actually this effective, but I
| assume based off of these numbers you are doing the vast
| majority of all your shopping on amazon (groceries in
| addition to household purchases)?
| computerphage wrote:
| This is for all people who give to EFF.
| JshWright wrote:
| I assume those numbers are aggregated across everyone who
| has chosen EFF as their Smile donation recipient.
| georgyo wrote:
| Never heard of amazon smile before, but there registry of
| charities to donate to is really hard to ensure you got the
| right one.
|
| I set mine to "Signal Technology Foundation" which I am fairly
| sure is correct, but there is no link, no description or other
| method to verify; it doesn't spark a lot of confidence.
| capableweb wrote:
| And if that wasn't confusing enough, Signal et al call the
| foundation "The Signal Foundation" while the proper, official
| name is "Signal Technology Foundation".
| conradev wrote:
| Is there a particular reason that Signal needs donations? I
| thought Brian Acton injected $50m two years ago...
| herewulf wrote:
| I was wondering this myself, but apparently they are seeing a
| huge influx of new users right now. This article explores what
| might be going on.
|
| https://www.theverge.com/2021/1/7/22218989/signal-new-signup...
| robjan wrote:
| They have tens of millions of users and a single large donation
| won't keep them running forever
| eeZah7Ux wrote:
| and yet the whole Mastodon and Briar ecosystems run on
| pennies.
| RobLach wrote:
| Can't they just send Brian Acton an email? He's got to have some
| cash left over from selling off WhatsApp's user base to Facebook.
| Forbo wrote:
| He seeded the Signal Foundation with $50M.
| RobLach wrote:
| Exactly, bound to have at least a couple bil laying around.
| 1_player wrote:
| Assuming your wealth is 1/1e9 of his, you might have a
| couple dollars laying around as well.
| RobLach wrote:
| Sure but that's a significantly worse ROI of the effort
| of trying to get that out of me.
| notsureaboutpg wrote:
| I would hate to have users like the Signal userbase from what I'm
| seeing here.
|
| It's an always up messaging service that's at least more secure,
| more privacy-focused, and more respectful of you than Whatsapp,
| Messenger, SMS, email, whatever else.
|
| You use it every day and it's rarely ever offline and it looks
| nice on your phone and it's easy to use and it has quite a lot of
| features, and you can't pony up $5 one time?
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(page generated 2021-01-07 23:02 UTC)