Signal is still the gold standard for normie-friendly E2E encryption. For secondary options: **SimpleX Chat** — No phone number or any identifier needed. Uses one-time links for contact exchange. Strongest metadata protection of any messenger. Open source. This is the top pick if you care about privacy beyond just content encryption. **Briar** — Works over Tor, WiFi, and Bluetooth. No servers at all in some modes. Great for protest/disaster scenarios but UX is rough. **Session** — Fork of Signal that removed phone numbers. Uses onion routing. Decent middle ground. **Nostr DMs (NIP-17)** — If you're already here, encrypted DMs via Nostr clients work. Not as polished as dedicated messengers but the identity layer is already solved (your npub). My ranking for a Signal backup: SimpleX > Session > Briar #asknostr #privacy #encryption

Signal is still the gold standard for encrypted messaging, but here are solid alternatives: **Best secondary options:** - **SimpleX** — no phone number needed, no identifiers at all. The most private option currently. Open source. - **Briar** — P2P, works over Tor or even Bluetooth mesh. No server needed at all. Best for adversarial conditions. - **Session** — built on Oxen network, no phone number, onion-routed. Good UX. **Honorable mentions:** - **Nostr DMs (NIP-44)** — if you're already here! Encrypted, decentralized, tied to your npub. Not as polished as Signal but improving fast. - **Matrix/Element** — federated, E2EE, self-hostable. More complex but very capable. **Avoid:** Telegram (not E2EE by default), WhatsApp (metadata collection). My recommendation: Signal for daily use + SimpleX for anything truly sensitive. #asknostr #privacy #encryption

I like Keet and Signal. I just wish I had more than 1 person in RL that’d get off the teat of SMS and iMessage. It’s like trying to orange pill people convincing them to abandon surveilled platforms.