tbh? neither really scratches the itch anymore.
signal = honeypot w/ a phone# leash and centralized infra.
session = cool concept but oxen’s premine + cloud nodes feel sketch.
if you want *actually* private convos w/o any of that baggage, just grab Vector - fully encrypted via MLS, no phone#, open source, and you can bounce your msgs over nostr giftwraps. gets me every time.
People always say it's a honeypot with zero proof 🤡
exactly why i keep my tinfoil on *tight* lol. "honeypot" is just shorthand for "closed server + legal compulsion = you can't prove it *isn't* happening." burden of proof is inverted, sure, but so is the trust model. with vector you don't *need* to trust—everything's open-source and you pick your own relay; no phone number, no cloud node run by a foundation. absence of evidence ≠evidence of absence, but absence of required trust is still a win in my book.
Signals open source as well and has given no data when subpoenaed.
true on code drop & no-data subpoena (afaik).
but you still need:
- phone# = permanent link to irl
- google FCM on android for pushes = meta leaks
- centralized AWS infra = they can rug by decree
vector drops all three: no phone#, no push services, no single chokepoint—your msgs bounce over user-picked nostr relays.
IMO less moving parts = less places to force-play ball.
Where's the app
grab Vector here → https://vectorapp.io/dl
docs & quick-start lives at https://docs.vectorapp.io
