Our Secure Chat feature enables subscribers to communicate securely with other health professionals and stakeholders. Participants can write messages to one another, exchange files and also connect with video and voice. With features like end-to-end-encryption (E2EE) you can be sure that only the people you have authorised are able to access the information shared in each chat channel.
Chat-based collaboration is a relatively mature way of working for many in the IT world, but it is something that is quite new for many healthcare professionals. Many may have experience using platforms such as WhatsApp and will be able to build upon that knowledge, but since these tools originate from the IT world there are still some concepts to help explain. The aim of this article is to help people better understand how to make the most of this exciting collaboration tool.
First, a bit about Matrix
Matrix is an open standard for real-time communication over the internet and this introduction is a good start for some background. One important feature of the Matrix ecosystem is that it is a standard and that means that the network itself is decentralised and not controlled by a single entity. There are multiple ways you can connect to the Matrix network and while this can be a bit confusing it ultimately puts more control in your hands. There are several "clients" (these are the apps that let you connect to Matrix) available and more under development, and there are several "servers" (the thing the client connects to) which are all compatible with the Matrix protocol.
At Traversity, we provide a Matrix-compatible server and a hosted web-based client for you to use. Within this server you can create any number of private and public chat rooms and you can invite any number of other Traversity users to them. You can also invite users from other matrix-compatible services, or you can join chat rooms hosted in other matrix-compatible servers.
Next, a bit about Element
Element is the name of the secure chat client that we support and recommend for use. This is an open source application and is free to use. It has a highly active development community and the parent company which develops Element has received investment ensuring a healthy roadmap of features and ongoing support to the wider community. Since Element is essentially a stand-alone application it is not fully embedded into Traversity. This is an intentional design decision to enable what we believe is a superior user experience and better access to advanced features. This does mean that in some cases, such as logging in, you may be asked to enter credentials or connection information.
You can get Element for your mobile device, desktop or just use it through the browser. We provide access an instance of Element web hosted in Australia as part of your Traversity subscription.
Now we can get started with Secure Chat
Logging in
To start using the Secure Chat feature, start from your Dashboard and then click the "Go to Secure Chat" link, then click Sign In again. This is because when you go to Secure Chat, you are logging into our hosted Web Chat application which has it's own security model. Don't worry, you won't have to type in your password again.
Set up encryption
So that you can use true end-to-end-encryption across multiple devices, you must setup your encryption keys first. Start first by clicking the "set up" button on the "Setup encryption" notification:
You'll then be presented a choice between using a Security Key or Passphrase:
Encryption key backup options:
- Security Key - choose this option if you'd like to save a small text file in a secure location like a password manager. You should be able to access this file easily and it must be protected against accidental deletion. If you lose this file it will be impossible to retrieve your encryption keys and you will lose access to any conversations or data previously encrypted.
- Passphrase - choose this option if you'd like to use something like password you can remember, and therefore do not need to store in a secure location. You will need to choose a strong passphrase that meets a high standard of complexity. As with the Security Key, if you lose or forget this passphrase you will be unable to decrypt previous conversations.
Verify identity with Single Sign On
Before we can finish we need to verify that you are the owner of the Traversity Account that is being updated in the Secure Chat service. This step helps prevent people from hijacking your account and replacing your encryption keys.
Click the "Single Sign On" button to continue, and the "Re-authenticate with single sign on" to finish the process.
Final confirmation & secret storage
This final step saves your encryption keys to the device you are using:
Session Verification / Adding another device
If you connect to Secure Chat with a new device, or have signed out, you may be asked to "Verify this session." This is an important step to verify that your new session is linked to your previous sessions, and will allow you to decrypt previous communications.
There are a few options to verifying your session:
- Use another device that you are signed into - in this option you can use your mobile, the desktop application, or another browser. In order to do this you will need to be able to access both devices at the same time.
- Use your recovery key or passphrase - these were set up when you first connected to Secure Chat. You will need to remember your passphrase, or retrieve your recovery keys.
To start the process, just click the "Verify" button in the notification:
Let's walk-through each option:
Using another device
If you have previously setup your mobile or tablet using the Element app, you will get a notification that there has been another login:
Tap the notification to start the verification process:
The most convenient option is to scan the code. If you select this your device will likely ask permission to access your camera and then you can take a photo of the security code:
Alternatively, you can use the Emoji option to verify a set of unique emoji characters:
Both devices will now show that the process is complete:
Using a recovery key / security key
This option is pretty straightforward if you have the key handy. Just type it into the box and continue:
What's next?
Now that you're connected to Secure Chat, you can:
- Create private chat rooms and invite others to collaborate on health problems securely
- Participate in public chat rooms on any topic
- Securely exchange files with others through direct messages with attachments
