Session: An Open Source Secure Messaging App

Session: An Open Source Secure Messaging App

Session: An Open Source Secure Messaging App

Due to the multiple and repeated news about WhatsApp's known or probable vulnerabilities, one of the most used messaging applications in the world, by individuals and organizations, many have migrated in parallel or totally, for a long time to other recommended applications such as Telegram y Signal.

En DesdeLinux, we don't usually talk about Whatsapp, Ya que It is not Free or Open Source Software. We generally do this to refer to your vulnerabilities or to make comparisons with others, especially free and open solutions. As now, we will talk about Session, which is promoted as a open source secure messaging app.

Session: WhatsApp Banned - Banned

I personally have stopped using Whatsapp Totally starting this month of February 2020, since I hardly used it, and despite that, it consumed a lot of data and disk space, among other negative things. I have been using intensively for 3 years Telegram and now absolutely like communication platform I mobile and desktop messaging application.

Minimize or avoid the use of WhatsApp

But, beyond those reasons, real security concerns or reasons, reflected by individuals or organizations worldwide, must be taken into account. For example, regarding Whatsapp, credible news has emerged from organizations such as:

"The european commission has asked its staff to start using Signal, an end-to-end encrypted messaging application, in an attempt to increase the security of their communications. The instruction appeared on internal messaging boards in early February, notifying employees that "Signal has been selected as the recommended application for public instant messaging." The app is favored by privacy activists due to its end-to-end encryption and open source technology.". Political Media - 23/02/2020

"The United Nations Organization they have instructed their officials not to use WhatsApp to communicate. When asked whether UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres had communicated with the Saudi Crown Prince or any other world leader using WhatsApp, UN spokesman Farhan Haq said Thursday: Senior UN officials have received instructions not to use WhatsApp, it is not supported as a secure mechanism". Reuters Medium - 23/01/2020

And for many reasons, information, reasons or news as you are, now a new messaging application makes his way through the public, especially lovers of Free Software and Open Source, a call Session.

Session: An excellent free and open alternative to WhatsApp

Session

What is it?

According to its developers in its Official website, specifically in its "White Paper" (Whitepapers):

"Session is an open source, public key-based secure messaging application that uses a set of decentralized storage servers and an onion routing protocol to send end-to-end encrypted messages with minimal exposure of user metadata. It does so while providing the common features of the main messaging apps".

In addition, it is an application created by the Loki Company, an organization created to develop Software products focused on the security and privacy of its users.

Key features

  • It is an open source development.
  • It is a multiplatform application (Windows, MacOS, Linux, Android and iOS).
  • Accepts sending of voice messages and attachments in many formats.
  • It uses end-to-end encryption that eliminates the collection of sensitive metadata.
  • Allows chats through groups of up to 10 people or unlimited member channels.
  • It does not record metadata, as it does not store, track or record metadata for messages.
  • It is specially designed to provide a higher level of privacy and freedom, in the face of current forms of surveillance.
  • It has multi-device synchronization, that is, it uses a session ID for the user's phone and computer.
  • It works with the creation of completely anonymous accounts, therefore, no phone number or email is needed to create a session ID.

Installation on GNU / Linux

About our GNU / Linux Operating Systems, Session provides an installation file in format AppImage approximately 125 MB, which currently contains the stable version 1.0.2. Reason for which, the installation will be super easy and it will be compatible with many of our current distributions. For Android, Session - Private Messenger, is available in the version 10.0.3, with a size of 20 MB and that requires a version of Android 5.0 or higher.

Generic image for article conclusions

Conclusion

We hope this "useful little post" about «Session», an excellent open source secure messaging application, which has essential characteristics and similar to other more popular messaging applications, is of great interest and utility, for the entire «Comunidad de Software Libre y Código Abierto» and of great contribution to the diffusion of the wonderful, gigantic and growing ecosystem of applications of «GNU/Linux».

And for more information, always do not hesitate to visit any Online library as OpenLibra y jedit to read books (PDFs) on this topic or others knowledge areas. For now, if you liked this «publicación», don't stop sharing it with others, in your Favorite websites, channels, groups, or communities of social networks, preferably free and open as Mastodon, or secure and private like Telegram.

Or simply visit our home page at DesdeLinux or join the official Channel Telegram from DesdeLinux to read and vote for this or other interesting publications on «Software Libre», «Código Abierto», «GNU/Linux» and other topics related to «Informática y la Computación», and the «Actualidad tecnológica».


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  1.   virtual report said

    Since smartphones were invented it is practically impossible not to be tracked, and now with the monopoly of Facebook (WhatsApp, Messenger, IG, etc.) we are generating a monstrous big data.

    1.    Linux PostInstall said

      Greetings, VirtualReport. Thanks for your comment. I totally agree.

    2.    raiber said

      I would like to belong to this information channel to be updated with the news since I find the software interesting….

  2.   babel said

    It looks interesting, although something I always want to know is how the application is written in GNU / Linux, because then they are in Electron (software framework) and old computers take years to start it. It would also be nice to know if a continuous connection with the cell phone is necessary like Signal does, which is very impractical from my point of view.

    I was just curious and I'm going to try it heh heh. Regards.

    1.    Linux PostInstall said

      Greetings, Babel. It would certainly be useful to know that, but neither in its Whitepaper nor in its FAQ section does it show whether or not it is made with electron in a clear or evident way. Regarding the other, I think that by using multi-device synchronization and by using completely anonymous accounts that do not depend on the phone number, since there is no continuous connection with the cell phone. But you would have to test that well to see how it works.

  3.   linuxito said

    Have you seen the installation permissions requested on Android? totally ruled out.
    The Protonmail are working on a messaging app, that will be the good one 😉

  4.   Joseph Marin said

    I would like to try it