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This feels weird to say because it should be obvious: Don’t download random #Conversations_im forks from the PlayStore!

I don’t know why people install apps with no website or source code. If you’re reading this, you’re likely not one of them—but server stats show they exist.

Yesterday, I warned one such fork about massive security issues and asked them to take it down. They refused.

in reply to Daniel Gultsch

The face of a random dau when you tell him: "don't install an app without a website or source code."
in reply to methuselah

@methuselah this. It is essential to identify them by their names as one of the main reasons why people may be installing them would be because they simply don't know which ones they are.

Maybe C0nnectPro and C0nnectEasy?

in reply to Gonzalo Nemmi

I don’t think you need specific names because it is a principle that can be applied to all (xmpp) apps.

Does it look like a fork of Conversations? Do they have a website and do they link to the source code? Has the app been updated recently?

This entry was edited (17 hours ago)
in reply to Daniel Gultsch

I understand your reasons. My point is that I can't deny the fact that any regular user (specially Play Store users) will not check nor verify where does the software come from. They simply trust the "Play Store" already did that for them .. and thus: "they are safe".

Besides: how could they compare their app with Conversations if they never used Conversations before?
C0nnectPro does have a website (c0nnect.org/) .. yet it still doesn't fit the bill .. 🙄

@methuselah

in reply to Gonzalo Nemmi

@gnemmi @methuselah I guess this technically counts as having a website but there is hardly any information on there and all the source code links point to empty repositories...
in reply to Daniel Gultsch

absolutely .. there's no more information that what can already be found on the Play Store description .. or to put it simple: its just as good as nothing.

In all honesty, I believe that at it's core, the main problem is that there is no free "go to" full XMPP client for users to compare against, and it is almost unavoidable: new comers will not pay for an app to find out if they like/need/want to use a new service .. they'll only do it once they know what they are getting

@methuselah