trustserv.de

Matrix on trustserv, a Data-Friendly WhatsApp Alternative

Sat, 15 Aug 2020 22:14:07 +0200

Introduction Link to heading

Annoyed by data espionage from big companies? Looking for alternatives? Here’s one, and it’s called Matrix.

With Matrix you can chat, call, and share files — just like WhatsApp, but open source and hosted on my own private server.

To get started you’ll need an account. The registration process was built by me and is still a bit rough around the edges, but functional. If you run into any display errors, forgive me. :)

Spam Abuse of the Mail Service

Fri, 04 Nov 2016 17:04:01 +0100

Update (2026): Self-registration was never reopened. Accounts are handed out personally instead, which suits a service for friends rather well. If you would like one, just ask.

What happened? Link to heading

I’m very sorry to everyone who received unwanted mail as a result of spam sent through this service. Someone registered several mail accounts and abused them to send unsolicited messages.

Self-registration has been temporarily disabled while I look into the issue and work on additional safeguards. I want to be confident that the service cannot easily be abused for spam before opening registration again.

Moving to Hugo!

Sun, 22 Nov 2015 14:18:42 +0100

WordPress had been getting on my nerves for a while. Every other week there was an update for a theme or plugin I never used — shipped with the default install, yet responsible for the next bug or vulnerability. The alternative, sticking to the version packaged by the distribution, means running something stable and maintained, but usually also outdated.

At work I came across static site generators and heard how pleasant they can be:

Privacy Policy

Sat, 21 Nov 2015 15:40:58 +0100

Privacy is a good part of why this server exists in the first place. This page describes what data trustserv.de processes, why, how long it is kept, and what rights you have.

If anything here is unclear, please get in touch.

Who is responsible Link to heading

trustserv.de is operated by me, Oli, as a private individual. I am the controller for the personal data described below. You can reach me at the address on the Disclaimer page.

About

Mon, 16 Nov 2015 20:18:10 +0100

What is this? Link to heading

trustserv.de is my little private project — a “secure” communication platform for me and my friends, and a way to share resources, since I don’t need a server with that much bandwidth all to myself.

It’s not a “public” service in the usual sense. It’s a service for me and (new) friends. Whether I hand out an account is entirely up to me. Self-registration has been closed since 2016, after a number of accounts were created and abused for spam — if you would like an account, just ask.

Disclaimer

Mon, 16 Nov 2015 20:18:10 +0100

No warranty Link to heading

Everything hosted here is provided “as is” and without warranty of any kind. Downtime, data loss, and the discontinuation of individual services are all possible. I run this in my spare time and fix things when I can — so please do not treat trustserv.de as your only mail provider, and keep your own backups of anything you would miss.

Spam Filtering

Sat, 05 Sep 2015 14:14:22 +0200

A few mail accounts have been causing trouble lately — most notably by being used to sign up for sites they had no business signing up for. In the end I saw no way around installing a spam filter.

To be clear: scanning mail is not something I wanted to do. Every message now passes through Amavis and SpamAssassin before it reaches your inbox, and that is a trade-off I would rather not have made. It simply beat the alternative.

New SSL Certificates for Everyone!!11

Wed, 22 Oct 2014 12:41:37 +0200

I have replaced my old StartCom certificate — this time with one from Comodo, as I am not particularly fond of StartCom’s practices.

The switch did not go entirely smoothly: the certificate is currently not being served correctly for mail, and I cannot rule out that other services are affected as well.

If you run into a warning about an invalid certificate on mail, please verify the fingerprint before accepting anything:

Happy New Year...

Fri, 03 Jan 2014 21:23:37 +0100

Update: Registration is no longer open. After repeated abuse of newly created accounts, I had to disable the sign-up form. If you would like a mail address, please get in touch with me directly.

Welcome to trustserv Link to heading

trustserv is a small, privately run mail service. Anyone can ask for a mail address free of charge — whether I hand one out is entirely up to me.