đź’¬ Join Matrix Guide

Guides
1
Server name (enter into chat client):

matrix.tornadocash.social

Web client:
https://element.tornadocash.social

Space (contains all rooms):
#tornado:matrix.tornadocash.social

All rooms:
#announcements:matrix.tornadocash.social
#general:matrix.tornadocash.social
#issues:matrix.tornadocash.social
#relayers:matrix.tornadocash.social

How to join?

You may either:

or you

  • Use the web client from the link.

Then either register on matrix.tornadocash.social, or, on another server, and then join the rooms. This has the positive benefit that if our server goes down, the rooms stay in tact with all data saved. Your instance needs to federate properly.

Another advantage if you do the former is, that if you use another server, that server acts a proxy between you and matrix.tornadocash.social (privacy is compromised via DNS lookups, look into alternative DNS servers if you are concerned about this, or use Tor). But we can’t give any guarantee on whether your server’s host will censor you.

Continuing, mostly every client will have somewhere in the top left part of the app a compass-looking button which allows you to search for people or rooms. It should also offer you to join a room with an address, directly.

I advise joining the Tornado space, because it contains all rooms. The space is #tornado:matrix.tornadocash.social (notice that rooms and spaces are prefixed with an #, users are prefixed with an @).

In any case, either join the Space and then the Rooms, or just the Rooms, let the client load the data, and you will be able to chat.

Can I use a client over Tor/VPN?

Yes you can, either use a web browser client or download something like Whonix or Tails and run it over the VM/OS or use something like proxychains or torsocks (call from command line), or a VPN, or a chain of VPNs, and so on.

Why should I use Matrix?

Because it is better than other chat apps and it’s not a honeypot. For example, Matrix has strong E2EE capabilities. You can make any room an encrypted room with someone (usually private rooms, public ones don’t really make sense).

As another example, consider Telegram. Telegram is an app which, for example, is by default completely transparent, shares user data if asked by law enforcement:

The Kremlin Has Entered Your Telegram Chat | WIRED

Telegram gibt Nutzerdaten an das Bundeskriminalamt - DER SPIEGEL

(german translation: Telegram gives user data to the Federal Criminal Office)

This is what we call a honeypot in other words.

The only reason why some data isn’t shared by them is because they probably purposely make specific business political decisions. It is also likely that many accounts “fall under the radar”.

When it comes to the advantages of Matrix servers, servers may copy the data from other servers onto their server and this way data can be backed up in the case of one server shutting down.

Terminology

Note that I was inaccurate on purpose in this post when it comes to terminology, the point is that people can easily read it. Here more details:

  • Matrix: the protocol according to which servers communicate and which they must respect. I was using it as a general term, consider this like using “Ethereum”.

  • Synapse: the most widely used and probably only used server implementation currently.

  • Space: a structure which contains rooms. When you join it, you basically subscribe to a rooms list.

  • Room: a group in chats. Just that here, there is no chat - DM (or PM, whatever name) separation. A “DM” is just a room with 2 people, and it can be configured to be private, public, encrypted, unencrypted, etc…

  • Federation: basically the capability of servers to copy data between each other, by communicating via the protocol. There exists a federation tester.

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