[Strom]

> Them using an Element bridge is no different than them using an extra device you didn't know about.

It is different in a big way. That extra device would most likely only transit this one user's messages. The Element bridge transits a ton of users and as such is an attractive target for mass surveillance.

> That device could've well been [..] hosted in the cloud.

The capability of self-hosting is very niche. Only technical people could pull that off. Element is working hard to make using this bridge so easy that your grandmother could do it.