[messaging] Matrix.. is Federation at odds with Privacy?

[Daniel Kahn Gillmor]

On Thu 2015-04-16 13:15:36 -0400, carlo von lynX wrote:
> Let me address just one key thought here:
>
> On Thu, Apr 16, 2015 at 03:36:23PM +0100, Matthew Hodgson wrote:
>> Expecting that users should jump directly into a new
>> total-privacy-secure ecosystem with little
>> interoperability/federation with current technologies feels
>> well-intentioned but impractical.
>
> Then why is this what actually happens all the time?
>
> Why did people start installing Skype when there was VoIP
> getting integrated into their outlook address book systems
> everywhere? They could have had it so nicely interoperable
> and integrated but nooooooo.. they preferred that darn new
> thing that some Estonian hackers developed and the NSA was
> desperate to get a hold of because they didn't know how to
> break the encryption!!!
>
> Why did people start mailing over Facebook when they had
> been given all the federated e-mail systems in the world?
> They could have had the bliss of politically correctly
> federated mail systems with all the SPAM as a necessary
> evil side effect, but nooo.. they had to pick a web-based
> mail system that requires them to not remember any mail
> address and even shows them profile pictures!
>
> Why do people start over and over again with completely
> new platforms such as Instagram, Telegram or Twitter?
> Each time bringing their entire core group of friends along?

I think i understand your argument, but i don't think it argues in the
direction of distributed communications; instead, i think you're arguing
that users want convenience above all else, and that centralized (not
federated and certainly not distributed) platforms are what they will
naturally gravitate to.

I find this a bit depressing, but what else is new?

     --dkg