Recommended chat platforms for browsers that does not require a phone number/age verification?

Questions
1

I want a long term chat platform to use with a group of nearly 30 people that I should be able to moderate to prevent and remove spam if necessary. It should be free and able to remain hidden our IPs and countries even between us. It should be Tor-friendly or at least VPN-friendly.

I’m looking for a serious platform that will not disappear without saying anything previously and will (hopefully) not share information about us without a court order.

I know that some platforms does not work well on mobile browsers, but it should work at least to allow some people to see how it works without downloading an app. This will help them to join and stay, instead of asking to just use Discord. Any recommendations?

2

This is a key constraint that makes this trickier.

If you have a finite set of trusted people, just make a Signal group and kick people who are being annoying and call it a day.

If you really need mod abilities, and something FOSS, it’s going to be Matrix warts and all. If you want something else, it doesn’t exist.

3

I share this frustration. I have not found a seamless, privacy-friendly alternative to Discord without making substantial compromises on functionality:

  • Signal & SimpleX dont have comparable server, channel, or permissions management features
  • Maintaining a Matrix server is cumbersome at the best of times
  • Session is perpetually on the verge of collapse

There’s absolutely a market gap here

4

Fluxer?

5

Fluxer has age and regional restrictions, also if someone reports you as a minor because they don’t like you or whatever, you have to send them your ID or your account will remain locked.

6

Maybe Movim? It’s XMPP-based and works in a web browser (Progressive Web App).

I think the expectation that the server operator ignores a domestic court order is unrealistic. The only way to protect the users (to some degree) on the server side is minimal metadata collection (so Matrix doesn’t fit, not sure about XMPP) and E2EE.

But some people from your community will likely have insecure phones, with spyware, AI scanning phone content, too generous permissions for apps etc. which will allow “unauthorized” persons to infiltrate you anyway.

7

Matrix with Element Web?

8

Probably it was misunderstood but I don’t (really) care if the platform shares information about us with a court order, what I don’t want is that they share it without one.

It seems that Matrix and Movim are good options for self-hosting, but instead of placing our trust on a platform we have to trust a single person (the owner of the public server) that someone interested on our information can contact directly.

9

Have a look at kloak. In browser, can handle large groups, voice and text, no id required and works with a vpn. It’s basically an anonymous discord

10

It is a very small platform (just 5 people behind it) but looks promising. I will check it later again.