What Is Element & Why You Should Use It?

 What is Element?

Element is a chat messenger app that is created by Matrix.org to connect you the homeserver you registered on and login to start chatting away in Rooms and exploring Spaces. Element offers many features for rooms including E2EE (End to End Encryption)!

What is a Homeserver?

A homeserver is the network that houses all the spaces and rooms there are many of them when you use the Element app by default it will create an account for you on the matrix.org homeserver but you can register to other homeservers and still login through the element app.

Why Are There Multiple Homeservers?

Matrix may be the most popular one by default because the app will automatically create you an account on the Matrix homeserver since they made the app but the Matrix homeserver has very strict rules and regulations with algorithms in place which when exploring rooms to join will automatically ban tons of rooms from the list of exploring rooms based off keywords, chat, media content, and other whatnot's! There are other companies and groups out there that host homeservers for Element that you can create an account on and use to connect to these same spaces and rooms. Every homeserver has it's own rules and regulations which you will have to check through the website to know what they are but almost all of them are a lot less restricting then Matrix.org

Okay I Understand Homeservers Which Should I Make My Account On?

Here is a list I pulled from searching online with all links to different homeservers to register on we will include the matrix.org homeserver but I highly recommend you do not create an account on their homeserver because of what I stated above!

Homeserver Listing

• https://matrix.calitabby.com/ (Best Recommended)
• https://matrix,thisisjoes.site/
• https://jews.rip/
• https://riot.kiwifarms.net/
• https://iddqd.social/element/
• https://riot.200acres.org/
• https://matrix.transhumanist.club/
• https://halogen.chat/
• https://nerdsin.space/
• https://chat.ubersm.art/
• https://riot.zygoat.club/
• https://chat.waifuhunter.club/
• https://element.midov.pl/element/
• https://element.neko.bar/
• https://element.cuum.space/
• https://matrixclient.cutefunny.art/
• https://matrix.076.ne.jp/
• https://matrix.fedibird.com/
• https://matrix.sabakan.industries/
• https://matrix.juggler.jp/
• https://smith.gdgd.jp.net/
• https://element.io/ (Matrix.org Not Recommended)

Not all the servers may be open for registration at any point of time.

The choice is yours to register to whichever one you like but the best recommendation which I am registered to and where the SpaceHey room is hosted on is https://element.anontier.nl/

Alright I went to the website and created an account on the homeserver's website I have  chosen now how do I login to it in the Element App?

Very easy when opening the app this will be the first thing you see!

We will tap on Get Started then come to our next screen!

Here we will tap on Other then we will come to our next screen!

Here is where you will put in the link to the homeserver which will look like this!

Then we will tap on continue and finally be able to register or login!

If you went to the website and already made your account go ahead tap on Sign In!

Login and welcome to Element on your homeserver now we can get to chatting!

Once you have signed in here is the link to the SpaceHey room I have made for everyone who wants to connect and chat SpaceHey Element Room You can also go to explore rooms and type in SpaceHey it's a public room and should come up immediately if you do not see it in the explore rooms then most likely what is happening is the homeserver you registered to has automatically banned the room from it's listing.

This Is What You Should See!

Hope to see ya on there if you want to connect and just to let you know the room is E2EE enabled and the settings are from join meaning You will not see any previous chat from before you joined the room!

Why Do You Use This?

I use this because all the major popular chat applications like Discord, Slack, Guilded, Kik, Snapchat & many others all have useful features like bots and other custom script plugins that offer more features which can improve your server's experience. Lots of these as you see when you add them ask for permissions to read, write, and change things on your server and you need to give them permissions to use their features. There are many backend things these features can be doing without letting you know and you would have no way of knowing.

Discord for example had released a blog about how slash commands had to be changed because after many years apparently there was an exploit in them that bots used to get everyone's message on every server the bot was in! Who knows what the bot makers do with all this information but hey everyone who had these bots in there server had no idea this was happening. I myself use some of these same bots in my Discord servers to add cool features like a Music player for voice chat, economy point shops, funny picture auto posting randomly from the bots and many more things and hey they got whatever they did. Discord may have changed how it works and it may seem safe now but will I ever take that chance again nope.

Not saying that element doesn't have bots or custom plugin features they do but if you enable it they at least let you know that information is being transferred to another place and these bots and custom plugin features only work on servers that do not have E2EE enabled!

What is E2EE (End To End Encryption)?

E2EE is a protocol when enabled to encrypt the message so only you and the recipients can see the messages no bots, external programs, algorithims, or even the homeserver your on can see these messages. If you want a technical long explanation to break it down for you then Click Here!

Why Should I Use This?

It's a chat application like many others and you have the ease of mind knowing that by your choice is you enable E2EE on your server your messages are encrypted and cannot be read by those not apart of the chat. Even if you logged on to your account on another device that other device cannot see the messages already sent in that chat unless you use Backup Keys. On Element when you enable E2EE on your server it can never be turned off which is great because that ensures your privacy.

E2EE can also be enabled on DMs not just only servers. Servers also have multiple settings for chat visibility for example if I set the chat visibility to members only from join and held a conversation on January 1st and you decided to join the room March 1st you will not see any of the previous chat from before you joined the room. If I set it to anyone then anyone can see the chat from the beginning to the current date.

The bottom line here is you have options to enjoy chatting with your friends without having to be concerned about bots, the homeserver, or a big brother shadow logging everything you say. All chat applications should be like this but they use the information in chats to sell to advertisers and other companies and who knows exactly what they do with all of this and why should we have to agree to this just to chat with our friends?

This sounds great can you explain to me what Backup Keys are?

Backup Keys are a string of text which can also be given to you as a file instead of a long text of random letters and numbers to retrieve your chats if you use your account on another device. If lets say you and I had a DM conversation or chatted on a server and I was on my computer having this conversation with you If I logged into my account on my phone I cannot see any of the messages I just had on my computer. I would have to use my Backup Key that I created and when you create your Backup Key you also must make a password for it and there is no way to recover the password if you should lose it.

If I wanted to see the conversation we just had when I was at my PC on my phone I would have to enter the string of text or use the file either one this is the backup key and I would have to enter in the password I made and once this is done all my encrypted messages I will be able to see on my phone. You can only have one backup key at a time creating a new one will remove the previous one you had before!

If you had lost your key on your phone or deleted it and you did not make a new backup key yet you can re-request encryption keys from your other devices. Your other devices will only prompt you to share those keys if they have copies of the keys themselves otherwise they'll do nothing.

This sounds really great, secure, and privacy friendly whoorah is there anything else I should know?

Element is not the only chat app you can use to access the matrix and chat with your friends. There are multiple chat apps you could use like Synapse, Weehat, Nheko, Quaternion, Fluffychat & more! Not all of these clients are on mobile but choose whichever one you like to access your chats on the matrix!