Ok, this service is getting very cool. Meebo, the universal IM client that works through the web, just released a widget. I’m testing it on the blog for a brief time — feel free to try it — it’s on the right side of the page (don’t be insulted if I don’t respond, I’m a wee bit busy, but you can always email me).
Those concerned about security on Meebo should be, as with any use of IM. I admit that for me, IM is a throway type of activity. I’m not an active IMer and I don’t use it for anything sensitive — I use it primarily to find out if people are in, or to ping someone quickly. So I’m not as sensitive about this as others may be.
But if you’re curious, Meebo encrypts all passwords with 1024-bit RSA keys (except on IE 7, which they still don’t support…).
IMs on the main Meebo servers are sent in the clear. For those wanting end-to-end encryption, however, they do have several SSL-enabled servers (accessed at https://www.meebo.com) which offer increased security. They have more details here. (IT managers can really groan—there’s a Meebo repeater which bypasses blocking).
(Thanks for this tip to security guy Xavier Ashe, who put one up as well.)
Alex