This is a quick update about the status of Briar. Short version: the project is still active but we’re only making essential security updates and bugfixes for now.
Long version:
For several years we’ve been trying to find solutions to some of the longstanding issues with Briar, such as high battery usage and unreliable background operation on Android, missing features like account backup and file attachments, and a difficult user experience for adding contacts and communicating offline.
We considered completely rebuilding the application from the ground up, or even splitting it into separate applications for online and offline use. Meanwhile, the project didn’t have funding, we were reluctant to look for funding without having a long-term plan, and so we could only work on Briar in our spare time.
Last year, we decided that we wouldn’t realistically be able to solve these issues and so we reluctantly decided to shut down the project. We worked on releasing a final update for Android and desktop to allow the app to remain functional for as long as possible. In the meantime we were hearing a lot of supportive words from people we had told about our decision, and the app continued to attract new users. So finally we decided to continue the project in maintenance mode. We’re only making essential security updates and bugfixes for now, but eventually we hope to make some incremental progress on those longstanding issues.
We’re sending out this update because some rumours have been circulating that the project is shutting down, based on conversations we had with people in the internet freedom and privacy community last year. Those rumours are out of date: the project is continuing.
I’m glad they’re sticking around even if Briar goes without much needed improvements for the time being. They serve an important niche no one else has managed to replace yet.
Which niche?
Convenient, secure, off-grid communication without strictly requiring the purchase of dedicated hardware.
by off-grid you mean no-internet?
Man these guys sure have a way with words. They apparently announced that they are shutting down, ultimately didn’t shut down and then a year later (?) they are sending out a message saying that the rumors about them shutting down are false, and that they are “only” putting it in maintenance mode (AKA shutting down development).
Anyway, not entirely unexpected. Development for Briar has been incredibly slow and it feels like there are newer projects without these limitations. P2P is cool and all but it’s not for the average Joe.
Yes
They didn’t announce they were shutting down, they only informally discussed their intention to eventually shut down with people in their community.
Maintaining software is entirely different from abandoning it. Maintained software will remain secure and functional whereas abandoned software cannot be trusted as there is no one to monitor or patch bugs.
I’m not aware of any project that does what Briar can.
The Briar project has discussed many ways they can improve its functionality and convenience, the issue is that they do not have the funding or resources to implement such vast improvements at this time. Anyone who likes the idea of off-grid communication but are unhappy with its current state should contribute to projects like Briar rather denigrate the people who donated tons of their spare time and money to create something unique and useful for the world to use free of charge.
This was not clear from the quote at all.
I guess we’ll see. In my experience they are dangerously close to one another. I’ve known countless projects that one day go “We’re entering maintenance mode until we figure this out” and one day a few months later it’s gone.
If they have spent years trying to figure out solutions to their greatest problems, then why would they be able to solve those now?
I never really got how this worked, is it like bluetooth mesh network or something?
Briar can be used over the internet, over WiFi, or over Bluetooth. I have experimented with using it, but failed to see much real-world advantage over other existing choices. Signal for mainstream use. Cwtch or SimpleX for use over Tor. The Bluetooth “mesh” feature seems kinda useless because if someone is close enough for Bluetooth, you can literally just talk to them. Kinda same for WiFi, although setting up a far-reaching WiFi network is actually mildly possible.
Yeah exactly. I don’t even think it’s mesh though it doesn’t piggy-back off other bluetooth devices, it’s just P2P over bluetooth. It’s cool technology, but I just can’t think of a situation you’d use it in like you mentioned.
Like if the internet were to go down, I really can’t imagine how Briar would be the best solution. Walkie talkies would be more ideal.
I haven’t heard much about Cwtch apart from thehatedone mentioning it, it’s similar to Briar right? Serverless over TOR by default. Does it do anything else novel?
Agreed, signal for the daily, SimpleX for full schizo mode, and maybe Session for a normie friendly anon messenger. Session seems to have too many issues to be sustainable though, it’s ridiculously expensive to run. I hope a mainstream e2ee anon messenger comes out again soon like Wickr.