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Add Warning Labels to Matrix/Synapse #50

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Mikaela opened this issue Sep 13, 2021 · 7 comments
Closed

Add Warning Labels to Matrix/Synapse #50

Mikaela opened this issue Sep 13, 2021 · 7 comments
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c:software self-hosted/decentralized software and related topics status:approved issues that are immediately approved, submit a PR! t:correction content corrections or errors

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@Mikaela
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Mikaela commented Sep 13, 2021

Description

URL of affected page: https://privacyguides.org/software/real-time-communication/#federated

This is practically privacytools/privacytools.io#2424 from where I am hoping for a warning label to be applied onto Element/Matrix.

@jonaharagon jonaharagon changed the title Matrix warnings Add Warning Labels to Matrix/Synapse Sep 13, 2021
@jonaharagon jonaharagon added t:correction content corrections or errors c:software self-hosted/decentralized software and related topics labels Sep 13, 2021
@Flam3z
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Flam3z commented Sep 14, 2021

I think an update from the developers should be needed as they have not responded to their issues in a while just so we can see what their current stance/progress on the said issues are.

@xanoni
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xanoni commented Sep 16, 2021

@Mikaela Thank you for reopening. Let's make sure we get to an answer this time. Kind of strange that the previous issue was closed and archived, so I couldn't even add comments to it. But let's assume for now that there is no bad intent.

On topic:
I agree that Matrix indeed needs several warning labels related to Ephemeral / disappearing messages. My understanding is that in most common server/room setups, this feature simply can't be assumed to be existent. However, the most dangerous part is that the user could think that messages are actually being deleted when they are not.

Non-exhaustive list of learnings that were non-obvious to me when I first started using Matrix:

  1. By default Synapse just sets something like a "hidden=true" flag when the user deletes messages, the messages are not actually removed from the database, but stored together with the "reason"
  2. Even if you run your own home server, you don't know if other admins in the federation are also deleting messages from their drives
  3. Due to the prevalence of bridges (and the fact that they are not always obvious/visible to the user), messages are forwarded to other networks (e.g., IRC, Discord, ...) where they are definitely NOT deleted
  4. Matrix makes it appear as if message deletion was supported in bridged rooms, but people connected to the native network will still see your messages ... non-technical users might not understand that Matrix can't delete their messages from Libera.chat or from Freenode

(I understand that ephemeral messages are never 100% secure, but at least an attempt should be made ...... or if not possible, the user should be warned.)

@jonaharagon
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Kind of strange that the previous issue was closed and archived

I can't speak to why it was closed initially having not been resolved as I haven't been involved with the PrivacyTools side of things in quite a while, but that repo was archived because there are currently no active maintainers, the entire PrivacyTools team has moved to this project. Just an FYI.

@Flam3z
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Flam3z commented Sep 22, 2021

Has matrix given a reason as to why those messages are still stored onto the server?

@Mikaela
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Mikaela commented Sep 22, 2021

Has matrix given a reason as to why those messages are still stored onto the server?

Assuming you mean media files, they say that multiple messages may point to the same media repo address and thus it's difficult to know when all messages pointing to the file are removed. That especially affects encrypted messages. This can be found from comemnts of matrix-org/synapse#1263.

If you mean the servers storing removed messages for 7 days in general, that is for server administrators in case someone was abusive and redacting messages to remove proof of it. They are also planning to make those visible to room moderators. matrix-org/matrix-spec-proposals#2815

@Mikaela Mikaela added the status:approved issues that are immediately approved, submit a PR! label Oct 7, 2021
@Mikaela
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Mikaela commented Oct 14, 2021

Self-assigning as an issue I care about and may be PRing by myself so it will be visible in /issues, please feel free to send a PR on this regardless should I not have done that at the time.

@Mikaela Mikaela self-assigned this Oct 14, 2021
@Mikaela Mikaela removed their assignment Nov 23, 2021
lrq3000 added a commit to lrq3000/privacyguides.org that referenced this issue Nov 25, 2021
dngray pushed a commit to lrq3000/privacyguides.org that referenced this issue Dec 3, 2021
@dngray
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dngray commented Dec 25, 2021

Done in #192

@dngray dngray closed this as completed Dec 25, 2021
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