THELOGICALINDIAN - Telegram is greatwhen it works Unfortunately the crypto worlds admired messaging app is decumbent to periodically activity bottomward due to abstruse failures and what seems like again attempts by the Russian aegis casework to meddle Overreliance on Telegram is a archetypal case of overcentralization For cryptocurrency projects gluttonous a fallback another the afterward options are account a look
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Telegram’s Centralized Tech Can’t Be Trusted
Telegram CEO Pavel Durov embodies abounding of the qualities that cryptocurrency users espouse. In accession to actuality amorous about bitcoin, he’s aggressive adjoin governments that seek to backdoor or shut bottomward his encrypted messaging app, abnegation to be cowed. Durov is alone one man though, and for political and abstruse reasons, his arrangement is decumbent to desultory outages. Pavel Durov ability be trustworthy, but Telegram is acutely not.
When the arrangement is agape offline, it tends to affect specific regions, abrogation associates of some Telegram groups talking to themselves and others clumsy to connect. From cryptocurrency projects ablution ICOs to bitcoin account teams alive remotely, Telegram forms a basic hub. The abutting time that hub becomes briefly unavailable, the afterward platforms can serve as substitutes – or alike as abiding replacements.
Six Telegram Alternatives to Try
Slack: Slack is what anybody was application afore Telegram. Crypto communities larboard en masse about back the phishing and spammy links got too much, and haven’t alternate since. Slack’s still accomplished for befitting baby communities and crypto teams in the loop, but for hosting accessible groups, such as ICOs, it’s unsuitable.
Discord: Discord is basically Slack for gamers, but alike if you’ve never accursed your way through PUBG and don’t apperceive your L2 from your R1, the belvedere is accessible to master. It doesn’t calibration as able-bodied as Telegram so ample groups can get unwieldy, but at atomic it isn’t decumbent to borer out after warning. Among the cons to accede is the actuality that Discord is beneath clandestine than Telegram, and does not apply end-to-end encryption.
Keybase: Basically an open-source Slack with end-to-end encryption, Keybase looks actual crypto-friendly and privacy-oriented. It has yet to be stress-tested at scale, but the signs are promising. Keybase additionally allows teams to deeply abundance and allotment files.
Wire: Wire is added enterprise-oriented, but has end-to-end encryption, defended book sharing, awning administration and a agglomeration of added advantageous features. Its accumulation chats are bound to 128 users though, so don’t apprehend to be able to drift your 50k Telegram accumulation over. Wire subscriptions alpha at €4 per month, admitting there’s additionally a chargeless claimed advantage with bargain functionality.
Viber: Popular in Russian and privacy-focused territories, Viber encrypts aggregate and claims not to abundance user abstracts on its servers. Group chats are capped at 250, so afresh it’s not a Telegram killer, but for abate crypto communities it’s added than up to the task.
Signal: Arguably the best clandestine messaging belvedere on this list, accustomed by such abstracts as Edward Snowden, Bruce Schneier, and cryptographer Matt Green, Signal carries some clout. There’s no absolute on accumulation sizes, but the belvedere is advised as added of a bankrupt messaging arrangement than an accessible arrangement like Telegram in which anyone can access a accumulation at will. For the privacy-conscious though, Signal is about as acceptable as it gets.
Decentralize Everything
This account is by no agency exhaustive; messaging apps such as Whatsapp and Wechat additionally serve as Telegram surrogates. One of the affidavit why Telegram has become the crypto community’s go-to belvedere is because it does big and baby actual well: it’s as accomplished at one-to-one messaging as it is at afterward ample groups area the address moves fast. Regardless, crypto communities that are codicillary on Telegram would do able-bodied to authorize a advancement they can absence to, so that the abutting time it goes down, business can abide elsewhere.
We are additionally seeing the ancestry of next-generation decentralized messaging platforms in Memo.cash – a messaging band-aid based on the blockchain of Bitcoin Cash, area users can collaborate in assertive ways. It’s still far off from aggressive with Telegram and its likes, but some day anon it or addition decentralized app will action absolute competition.
Decentralization is a sliding scale, not a switch. The cryptocurrency association can’t ascendancy alien armament that adeptness abuse their adeptness to interact. But they can absolutely do their best to ensure that no entity, including messaging applications, assets disproportionate control. Through diversification, bitcoin, and the cryptosphere it supports, become stronger.
What added messaging platforms do you acclaim abreast from Telegram? Let us apperceive in the comments area below.
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