MAKING THE SECURE SWITCH: Steps Needed to Convince Google Talk Users to Switch to FreedomBox's Secure Messaging Platform [REWRITE]

-- By DavidKorvin - 1 Apr 2013

Introduction

FreedomBox, which has the goal “building software for smart devices whose engineered purpose is to work together to facilitate free communication among people, safely and securely, beyond the ambition of the strongest power to penetrate,” has a complete, secure Extensible Messaging and Presence Protocol (XMPP) messaging platform in its 1.0 version. Google Talk, which is an instant messaging service that almost all of my friends use, is also built on this sophisticated messaging protocol. While FreedomBox’s messaging platform is secure, Google Talk is a centralized version where privacy intrusions occur.

However, though FreedomBox’s messaging platform will have many application for its XMPP chat—including Pidgin, which is a multiprotocol chat client that can connect instant messaging friends all at once with conversational security—FreedomBox still faces challenges in eliminating Google Talk’s dominance of online instant messaging.

Nonetheless, the demise of AOL Instant Messenger (AIM), which saw its 52% instant messaging market share in 2006 fall to less than 1% in 2011 highlights how FreedomBox and its supporters can cause a similar downfall for Google Talk in the near future.

How Google Talk Came to Dominate Instant Messaging Among My Peers

I remember when I began college in 2006, everyone was using AIM; two years later, everyone I knew had switched to Google Talk and AIM was a complete afterthought. Looking back on it, I believe there was a mad rush from AIM to Google Talk for three main reasons. First, Google Talk’s messaging protocol, XMPP, was more sophisticated and had more applications than AIM’s Open System for CommunicAtion in Realtime (OSCAR) protocol. (AOL tried to implement XMPP support for AIM I 2008, but the service lasted less than three months.) Second, Google Talk was integrated in Gmail, while I did not really know many people that used AOL Mail as their main e-mail address. Lastly, using Google Talk became the “cool” thing to do.

Suggestions for FreedomBox Movement

Conclusion