This news cluster focuses on a former Discord employee’s insights into the platform’s data retention policies and their implications for political activism. The employee reveals that Discord can retain all user messages, raising concerns about potential surveillance and legal repercussions for users engaging in political discussions. The second paragraph provides details about the former employee’s role within Discord’s Trust and Safety team, highlighting their experience in handling sensitive issues such as child safety and investigations into potential illegal activities. The employee stresses the importance of using more secure platforms, such as Signal, for organizing political activism to protect user privacy and avoid potential legal ramifications.
XMPP (Extensible Messaging and Presence Protocol) is an open and decentralized instant messaging protocol that offers a powerful, secure, and privacy-respecting alternative to mainstream messaging apps. Unlike proprietary platforms with closed protocols, XMPP empowers users to run their own servers, maintain control over their data, and utilize a variety of compatible clients. XMPP’s open nature allows for customization and flexibility, supporting text, voice, video, and file transfer, across different platforms. The protocol’s rich ecosystem of clients caters to diverse preferences, ranging from simple to feature-rich, enhancing user experience. While XMPP faces challenges such as lack of awareness, fragmentation, and perceived complexity, its inherent strengths in security and privacy make it a compelling option for those seeking a more controlled and open messaging experience.