Jitsi, the open-source video conferencing platform, now requires a Google, Microsoft, or Facebook account for their online service
jitsi.org
While Jitsi is open-source, most people use the platform they provide, meet.jit.si, for immediate conference calls. They have now introduced a "Know Your Customer" policy and require at least one of the attendees to log in with a Facebook, Github (Microsoft), or Google account.
One option to avoid this is to self-host, but then you'll be identifiable via your domain and have to maintain a server.
As a true alternative to Jitsi, there's jami.net. It is a decentralized conference app, free open-source, and account creation is optional. It's available for all major platforms (Mac, Windows, Linux, iOS, Android), including on F-Droid.
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Those are all SaaS providers with meeting software available. If someone was using Jitsi, it was specifically to not use a login with any of those providers. They're actively deciding not to continue operation with this. Its like when OnlyFans declares they wouldn't allow adult content going forward
So... Tumblr?
OnlyFans announced it too, but walked back on it later.
I laughed pretty hard at OnlyFans trying to remove the only thing that I was aware they hosted.
Yeah but at least Tumblr had a majority of non porn content. Jitsi is almost entirely privacy wonks, and only fans is almost entirely porn
I imagine that, at least, the videos wouldn't go through those SAAS providers, and that's relatively a plus still.
With paid for commercial meeting software available.
Or because they didn't want to pay ongoing SAAS fees.
It's literally nothing like that since Onlyfans is not an open source project that lets you host your own instance and run it however you like.
If you want anonymity run it yourself. If you want to use their servers it's reasonable that they expect to know a modicum about how to verify you are who you say you are. There is literally no other way to prevent abuse other than identity verification of bad actors.
Never used Jitsi. Above you indirectly say that from the functional point of view Jitsi is noticeably worse than meeting solutions of MS/Google/FB. Is this really so?
I don't know how I indirectly said that. I certainly didn't mean to. Its less well known, perfectly fine, and it's killer feature for a long time has been being decoupled from privacy disrespecting big tech companies
"If someone was using Jitsi, it was specifically to not use a login with any of those providers" this sounds like the only reason to use jitsi is avoid big guys, and if you cannot avoid them jitsi makes no sense - i.e. "no big guys" is the only feature worth it.
Btw, "login via Google" and use "Google meet" are significantly different cases from privacy point of view.
It's not the only reason to use jitsi, just that most people wouldn't bother seeking any alternative if they didn't care.
"Main motivating factor" != "Only viable reason"
Sorry for any unclarity I introduced. And yes, login via google vs full on google meet are two different things, but if I have to login via google for Jitsi I'm suddenly far more likely to use Jami
My experience has been that Jitsi is much better when the connection is bad. However, its default setting is that video is cropped to be square, which is very bad. I don’t even think that the user can change that.