What is Nostr?
Big Barry Bitcoin
npub1pkt…pxa6
2024-09-02 13:28:16
in reply to nevent1q…qqpn

Big Barry Bitcoin on Nostr: This is completely untrue. The very first implementation of direct messaging was ...

This is completely untrue. The very first implementation of direct messaging was heavily critisized but it had end to end (e2e) encryption which is the minimum it should have.

This means no one but the intended recipients could read the messages, and no url manipulation could change this. Only how you handle your nsec, if you expose or leak that data, could compromise your private messages.

This is one of the things that was criticised, as well as how much metadata could be extracted, anyone could see "who was talking to who" and "when" and potentially get a rough idea of "how long those messages were".

This is much less information than that which staff at X potentially has access to. They can actually read the messages, the difference is that they reportedly keep that data private.

Being able to have private communications online across public infrastructure, not relying on false promises by companies and without unintended consequences such as leaking who you are talking to is the dream, and no one but #Nostr devs are working on this because #Nostr provides a public infrastructure to build for that isn't just "the internet" that doesn't require everyone to run a server. This has brought new life to these idealistic goals.

I think we are very close to getting almost everything we want, but we don't yet have the dream DM solution. We have a good solution that many nostr clients support called "gift wrapped messages", but I am most excited on an implenentation that builds on top of the Signal (yes the e2e messaging app) technology. It will provide much more security and privacy and even allow for private group messaging.

Btw, I don't know any client that supports private group chat, but I would be very cautious about how it worked.

....

#Nostr isn't a chat platform, many people think DMs should never have been tried, but it was tried, it serves a purpose but it isn't as fit for whistleblowers and humanitarians. Btw, X has never been fit for them either.

The fact that it existed meant people debated it and now we are getting something better. That something better will be probed and tested and it will be improved constantly as we discover problems over time.

1. Don't use #NOSTR for DMs, it was never its primary purpose anyway.

2. Don't use X for it either, it is actually worse.

3. Use Signal or SimpleX for chat, if you want to use Nostr as your contact list, then look into 0xChat or KeyChat for Nostr as more security focused applications.

4. #Nostr actually has a chance of being the base of the most secure and useful DM/Chat protocol we have ever had. Support that. For yourself and for people who have never had this type of tool but are living in dystopian nightmares today.

5. We have only just begun.
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