[DyslexicAtheist]

I think Signal's necessity of tying the user to the phone number is where it could be improved. Signal could take a lesson from Wireapp which allows setting up a pseudonym so when connecting to another user I do not automatically have to share my phone number with them. ... e.g. if I want to make my phone number not be a problem, then I need a burner (or get burned). which is another step for the user. Depends on the threat-model if this is an issue I suppose.

Telegram so far never had an independent audit of its crypto or maybe I'm wrong?

[bigiain]

I'm pretty sure Moxie knew the upsides and downsides to using telephone numbers - and explicitly chose the alternative that maximised network effects over the one that maximised privacy. I suspect now there's (probably?) a large enough Signal network too self-sustain, and they can (and are) condsider allowing non-phone-number users to exists on their platform.

I'm not sure they made the compromises and decisions the way I would have preferred them, but their e2e secure messenger platform is way more ubiquitous than mine (which I never wrote), so in spite of that, I reckon they've done more to "make the world a better place" than I have...

(I do still get mad everytime Signal tells me "Some random or friend who's phone number you saved sometime in the last decade or so is now using Signal!" I'm 99% certain none of those people knew I was going to see that message when they installed/configured their "super private e2e encrypted messenger app!!!")