this post was submitted on 05 Apr 2024
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Privacy

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Folks, I have finally figured it out.

Have a baby.

Since having a baby a week ago, all of a sudden everyone is willing to install a decent messaging app in order to receive pics of the baby.

We explained that we weren't ready for images of our child to end up in the wrong hands via non-private apps. Another thing was telling them that the one single friend who had already got on board with this had already been recieving pics...

It's been a conversation starter for many and I think seeing privacy from the point of view of a newborn has helped our family and friends understand it a bit more easily. Plus they've had to put up with it if they want any photos, so they will see it working firsthand.

So, if you want to have a baby, know that it can be a wonderful opportunity to help loved ones communicate more privately.

It also increases the sum total of love, community and compassion in the world and in your own life but that's a conversation for another community :)

Edit: If anyone has good tips on how to share a little one's journey more privately with those that care about them, please post them in the discussion.

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[–] [email protected] 13 points 7 months ago (2 children)

It's what I did 5 years ago. All family and friends now on Signal.

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[–] [email protected] -4 points 7 months ago (2 children)

Literally just don't.

It's 2024, don't lead horses to water. Just live your life and check out.

If they want to connect, tell them where you choose to be. Compromise is for babies.

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[–] [email protected] 21 points 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago) (1 children)

Genius idea. Is there an app that reverses a vasectomy and twenty years of aging? But seriously, this idea has got legs, I love it. Congrats with your baby. Have you made a Facebook account for them yet?

[–] [email protected] 11 points 7 months ago (5 children)

Haha. Thanks :)

No, if they want a facebook account they will have to wait until they are 18!

[–] [email protected] 3 points 7 months ago (1 children)
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[–] [email protected] 2 points 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago)

This would be a good use case for private posts on self-hosted Movim + XMPP. Only your followers can see the posts but they persist unlike messages which tend to fade either due to expiry or just being too far back in the history. The XMPP platform’s clients come with OMEMO for double ratchet E2EE & Movim has a slick progressive web app for anyone that doesn’t want ta install some app while being able to comment on posts, participate in DMs+audio/voice calls, as well as MUCs (multi-user chat).

If I had a kid, this was my plan.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 7 months ago (1 children)
[–] [email protected] 4 points 7 months ago (1 children)

We're using Session with friends and family because I think it works most reliably with people who use apple devices out of the box. We use Jami for each other because it's p2p (distributed) and endorsed by the FSF. I set up Jami on my mum's phone too. You can use your own push notification provider with it or simply let it run in the background if you want to run your phone without google or apple servers but still want instant notifications for messages and voice calls. Jami is the app I would most like to see succeed. I believe you can also use it on internal networks, which is a pro in terms of independence future-proofing

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[–] [email protected] 8 points 7 months ago (1 children)

I'm imagine your granpa with f-droid and simpleXchat, fuckyeah you are a genious

[–] [email protected] 12 points 7 months ago (1 children)

Lol Grandpa is even more of a technogrouch than I am and won't even have a phone! Grandma OTOH is already using jami on her gentoo installation.

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[–] [email protected] 10 points 7 months ago (3 children)

Some people are actually interested in seeing pictures of someone else's baby?

[–] [email protected] 5 points 7 months ago (2 children)

Everyone is being polite, while we are the only ones who are amazed by our newborns 😀

[–] [email protected] 2 points 7 months ago

Everyone is a winner!

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[–] [email protected] 4 points 7 months ago

No but it is the propper thing to say/do

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[–] [email protected] 13 points 7 months ago (2 children)

We created a WordPress (installed on our server) blog which requires logins we have to approve. We share this with family members, with an email notification to them when something new is posted. They can post comments to the site.

We really actually did this for ourselves, as a kind of family photo album/blog, and so would have it even if no one else was invited :-)

[–] [email protected] 6 points 7 months ago

Awesome, I was thinking about doing this on my VPS!

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[–] [email protected] 33 points 7 months ago (3 children)

i hope signal becomes the "go-to" app in near future in europe because i'm sick of using whatsapp

[–] [email protected] 5 points 7 months ago

I would be furious if a different app that required Android or iOS to use became the norm. Have a Linux phone, a KaiOS phone, or no phone? Too bad.

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[–] [email protected] 107 points 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago) (5 children)

I have two kids. I asked people to use signal to send and receive the photos. Asking people to follow your requirements only works for the direct immediate communication. The photos of my kids were sent by the recipients I sent them to (over signal) to other members of the family, over gmail (unencrypted), WhatsApp, Instagram, etc. I learned that years after.

This was in direct violation of my express requests. When I confronted them, they played dumb.

So, not to be a buzzkill here OP, but if you did this to get more people to use your messenger of choice, good job, it worked. If you did this so the pics of your kids stayed on safe apps, don't fool yourself. They didn't.

[–] [email protected] 18 points 7 months ago (1 children)

That's OK, I understand that unfortunately it's only a matter of time until images of them end up somewhere I don't want want them, either through ignorance or a difference in values. That's the world we live in right now sadly. But hopefully I can delay and minimise it a bit, open a better channel of communication with a few friends and relatives and perhaps raise some awareness in the process.

I'm genuinely sorry to hear about your experience, especially with the pictures of them ending up on instagram. At least you were responsible as a parent and tried to do your best.

Its important to share and celebrate the birth of a child with your community. Yet another part of our lives that has been compromised by the degradation of our privacy unfortunately.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 7 months ago

But hopefully I can delay and minimise it a bit, open a better channel of communication with a few friends and relatives and perhaps raise some awareness in the process.

Absolutely.

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[–] [email protected] 16 points 7 months ago (2 children)

We explained that we weren't ready for images of our child to end up in the wrong hands via non-private apps. Another thing was telling them that the one single friend who had already got on board with this had already been recieving pics...

This really is the best way. Once there's a REASON for extra security, people understand and want to learn more. Once it's installed, other day or day conversations can take place there

If you start off with low priority / day to day conversations, they aren't as willing to put in the energy

[–] [email protected] 5 points 7 months ago

Yes, this exactly what has happened with one of my friends - after installing Session for the pics he is now messaging me on the app about unrelated stuff instead of using SMS in whatever his preinstalled iOS app is. Win!

[–] [email protected] 15 points 7 months ago (1 children)

This really is the best way. Once there's a REASON for extra security, people understand and want to learn more.

No one cares. Nobody around you understands the security, the need for it, and the requirements. They will pretend, to see your kid. And then immediately and completely stop caring. It works for making people adopt your favourite messenger, yes. But nothing else.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 7 months ago (1 children)

No one cares. Nobody around you understands the security, the need for it, and the requirements.

Well, I disagree based on personal experiences. It doesn't work for everyone, but I'm not trying to help everyone through this method

[–] [email protected] 13 points 7 months ago

I too, like OP, thought I found the grail when I got my kids. People suddenly accepted using my communication preferences. Only to find years later that they didn't. They didn't care, understand, or respected my wishes. Don't fool yourself: some people do care, but that is 10% tops.

[–] [email protected] 34 points 7 months ago (3 children)

I discovered that it doesn't work if the baby's other parent is an avid Facebook user.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 7 months ago (1 children)

You know what you need to do

[–] [email protected] -2 points 7 months ago (1 children)

Join them on the darkside!

[–] [email protected] 5 points 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago) (1 children)

Not quite

I was thinking divorce or murder

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[–] [email protected] 12 points 7 months ago

Oh dear. I'm sensing a deep backstory here...

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[–] [email protected] 7 points 7 months ago

A cat is fine too

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