European Commission: Matrix protocol lined up as a sovereign backup to Microsoft Teams

Archived version

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The European Commission is looking into using Matrix as a “complement and backup solution” to existing internal communications software, the spokesperson said.

That means there are no plans for a Matrix-based solution to replace Microsoft Teams, which is currently widely found on the Commission’s computers, according to remarks by an EU official at a conference in October.

A different open source tool – namely the Signal messaging app, which is also a favourite with journalists – is fulfilling the backup role at present but the software wasn’t flexible enough for a large organisation like the Commission, the official also said.

The Commission is also eyeing another use case for the Matrix-based comms tool: It could be used to connect to other Union bodies in the future, which are currently lacking a common tool to communicate securely.

Last year, the EU official noted that there was already a working connection with the Parliament.

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Matrix is an open source, community-developed messaging protocol shepherded by a non-profit that’s headquartered in London. It’s already widely used for public messengers across Europe, with the French government, German healthcare providers and European armed forces all using tools built on the protocol.