Here an easy guide to get started.
In this article we list some servers that seem to have respect for user privacy.
The list:
- 5th July XMPP
Swedish privacy foundation promoting free speech worldwide, in between other services they provide an open XMPP server hosted in Sweden and with logs tuned off.
- disroot.org
Privacy policy here.
Registration is not immediate, but you need to wait one or two working days.
Chat history is stored on the server in the same form as on the chat itself, meaning unencrypted chat is stored in plain-text and encrypted chat is stored encrypted. Additionally, the chat history, if not specified by the user on per chatroom basis, is stored on the server for a period of 1 month. You can decide to not have any history stored on the server per chat.
Server logs, which store information such as, but not limited to, your IP address and your username are stored for a period of 24 hours after which they are deleted from the server. No backup of log files is created. Logs are kept to prevent brute-force attacks on accounts and to provide quick insight when debugging issues.
Disroot.org is hosted in the Netherlands and therefore is subject to Dutch laws and jurisdiction.
- Esiliati.org
Esiliati is a really good server privacy oriented. Based in Italy.
Here you can find the information for register an account. To have an account you need know someone with a token or you can do a request to their email.With an account you have:- An email
- chat jabber/xmpp
- Personal wiki website
- storage webdav
- repository git
But translate and read all their policy before do a request.
- autistici.org
autistici is a esteemed server from many years. With its email service you has got also an xmpp account. For obtaining an email you need to attend some days.
Unfortunately we have found two problems with Autistici xmpp accounts: 1) Calls don’t work 2) Can’t create private group with people of other server, so you can only create private groups with people on Autistici server.
- systemausfall.org
you can easily create an account from this page. Use an online translator from German language to read the pages.
- Calyx Institute
A not for profit privacy and cyber-security foundation running a public Jabber/XMPP server that does not create any records of who you communicate with or keep logs of the content of any communications, this server forces you to use OTR, Off-the-Record Messaging, a cryptographic plugin that stops the server administrator from accessing plain text of your communications.
- Dismail.de
Free public server located in Germany, you can register for an account using the web interface or your Jabber client. The privacy policy is very clear about how long for each one of your details are stored, metadata has to be saved for Jabber to work, it would be impossible to communicate with your contacts without saving who they are and your Jabber ID is of course also saved. Personal details like the IP address used to create the account and the files you upload are erased after a month.
- Jabber.at
This XMPP server does keep logs, but I am adding them to the list because they are very clear about this, indicating how many days logs are kept for and what the content. For example the IP used to register an account, chat messages and file uploads are all kept for 31 days. The administrator indicates that they are based in Austria and according to local laws he must and will hand over logs for any crime that carries more than 1 year in prison. A transparency report with the number or court orders received to hand over logs is posted yearly, to be found in the privacy section of the website.
- Neko IM
Running a public XMPP server located in Norway, they claim that no more information is collected and stored than what is absolutely necessary, TLS everywhere is enforced and Jabber clients need to support a strong cipher or they will not be able to connect to the network. Being a free volunteer run project, this server uptime comes accordingly to this and no guarantees are made about uptime other than “as much as possible“.
- Countermail
This is a paid for service from a Sweden based email privacy company that provides the XMPP server xmpp.counternet.com with TLS and SSL encryption only available to email account holders. The username and password are randomly generated, you can not create your own, however, all XMPP clients supports “alias” or “display name” that you can manually set up and this is what other Jabber users will see.
- “(Message Archive Management), also know as MAM, is disabled by default on our server. If you enable it, your messages are stored on our server. The message storage is not encrypted and messages are kept for 31 days and then deleted automatically.
Generally we do not and do not want to gather or store information about you, log your conversations, or engage in any other behavior that would compromise your privacy and security in any way. However, certain services provided by us, especially the XMPP/Jabber services, need to store information so that the services can by used by you, e.g. we need to store passwords so that you can logon to our services. We do not automatically gather any personal information like your name or address about you. The only exceptions are information that you may voluntarily submit. We do not give or sell data to a third party.
Please note that if we are forced by law to cooperate with law enforcement agencies we will (have to). This might also include surrender data.”
Last update 17/03/2025