The EU’s next discussion on the Digital Markets Act (DMA) will take place soon and interoperability for online communications (messaging apps, collaboration tools and social media platforms) will be at the heart of it. Interoperability was one of the key features of the DMA when it was first advertised, as it’s completely aligned with the fundamental goals of the act.
Location sharing can be seen in both a positive and negative light. Great in the sense that it provides an extra layer of safety and convenience to users. Ever tried finding your friends at a festival without location sharing? Impossible. A lone worker who wants the comfort of those back at base knowing where they are? Yes please. But, of course, it can also be a massive invasion of privacy and yet another opportunity for data mining and more ******* adverts.
FOSDEM 2022 took place on Matrix 5-6 February, seeing anyone enthusiastic about free and open source software - from anywhere across the globe - meet, share ideas and collaborate. For a full write up from a pure Matrix perspective, visit the Matrix blog post. Element was a sponsor of FOSDEM 2022 and our Element Matrix Services (EMS) team provided all of the chat infrastructure for this year’s event.
Want a secure custom branded web-based messenger, but don’t want to pay a fortune? You can have exactly that using Element Cloud, from just $15 per month! via GIPHY A branded Element web app is ideal for organisations and communities who want all the benefits of open and secure end-to-end encrypted messaging, but with a customised interface to make it look like their own.
Messaging apps are meant to be simple, but the sheer volume of them can be overwhelming. You speak to Gran on Facebook because, let’s be honest, that’s the only app she knows how to use. Then we have Lucy over on Instagram. Your friends are split between Signal and Telegram. The family group chat is on WhatsApp, where you can’t get a word in edgeways. Your longtime work friend Jonathan keeps in touch via LinkedIn. All things work related go via email… and so on.
Voting for a new feature in a messaging app? Deciding where to go for lunch? Soliciting friends’ advice on whether to go on that second date?! We all know the pain of group decision-making, especially in busy chat rooms. We’ve seen creative uses of reactions as an informal way to see which option is most popular, but a lot of you have been asking for the ability to run proper polls. So….
Imagine being a CISO, hauled into a boardroom, and asked: “Why is your team using a collaboration tool that isn’t even end-to-end encrypted?” Where would you go with that? via GIPHY While there’s a fair amount of truth that you “never get fired for buying ,” there is far more truth in “you definitely get fired for failing to take basic precautions that make getting breached far harder.” Although to be fair that doesn’t trip off the tongue.
Things never feel like they’re moving fast enough when you’re looking from the inside. But from time to time it’s worth stepping back and looking at the progress - and the end of year is perfect for that. So sit back by the fire, have a cup of mulled wine or hot chocolate (don’t forget the marshmallows!) and let’s dive in!
We’re incredibly excited to launch Element One! It’s a complete messaging package - the Element app with high-performance hosting, the entire Matrix universe and bridging to WhatsApp, Signal and Telegram. All for just $5 per month. So if you’re tired of jumping between messaging apps, Element One is for you! You can be in your Element while chatting on Matrix, and when messaging friends who use WhatsApp, Signal and Telegram.
Hiya folks! We’re pleased to announce that our latest release includes the ability to export chat from all Rooms and DMs on Element Web and Desktop - with huge thanks to Jaiwanth Vemula from IIT Kharagpur University, who single-handedly built the whole feature as his Google Summer Of Code contribution this year! The ability to export is one of our most up-voted features ever; we’re incredibly excited that it’s here.
