Hi, I want to organize a group with some people and I want it to be easy to join.
So first, I’d like to create a QR code. What is a private tool to do that?
Second, I’d like to point to something similar to discord as it’s easy to share videos and organize meetups. I know Discord is not liked here, why is that? What would you recommend as a similar tool? It needs to have a place where anybody can upload videos and access them in a separate place then the actual chat (like channels in Discord).
On desktop you can generate QR codes directly from the browser, in my case I use Brave and click on the 3 dots, go to “save and share” and almost at the end appears the option “Create QR Code”. With the Sharex desktop application you can also do it. On Android the safest option is the Secuso app, the only permission it asks for is to use the camera, but even that permission can be refused if you only want to generate a QR code and not scan one.
Discord does not offer end-to-end encryption by default and its author does not have a good track record with respecting users’ privacy. The closest alternative is Element although it is still far from being a full alternative to Discord.
If you want to share static video, you could simply share a proton document or google docs. You could use a secure pastebin which does not require account and is not linked to you.
If you want to go to the chat route, Signal and SimpleX chat already have QR generation feature when youre sharing a link to your group.
Not all messengers have the same feature and security. Signal and simplex are user friendly but might not be the top contender if you require a life and death protection. See privacy guide chat section for recommendation.
Do note that with chat, you will also need to moderate, which could be a pain.
I’m reading through the lines here, but If you’re planning to attend a protest, there are guide for that which are more broad than just communication tool, take a look at eff guide for protesters.
