Direct messages (DMs) on #Mastodon /#ActivityPub / the #fediverse are not end-to-end encrypted (#e2ee) and you should never include sensitive/private information in them.
Until they are e2ee, this is all we should be telling people. Anything else is irresponsible and could cause vulnerable people harm.
Specifically, it doesn’t matter:
- if your instance admin is ethical or not
- whether Elon Musk can read DMs easier on Twitter
- etc.
It’s not end-to-end encrypted. It’s not private. End of.
@aral They shouldn’t even be called DMs. Private mention is better, but even the ‘private’ indicates more privacy than you truly have.
Granted, I actually think they are a cool concept. Sometimes you only want to mention a specific person and not really bother someone else, but it’s doesn’t need to be private as such.
@torb
They are neither direct (P2P), nor they are private (E2EE), it should be called something like "restricted scope". People should just stop trying to use social networks for *private* communication, they are not a great tool for that and they never will be. It's yet another case of putting all eggs in one basket.
@aral
