Team communication services · Community chat platforms

Element

Open source team chat built on Matrix

Open sourceOpen sourceHigh non-EU dependency

Operational dependency warning

Relies heavily on non-European providers

Current public evidence shows 5 non-European infrastructure or email dependencies across 4 providers: Amazon SES, Cloudflare, Google, HubSpot. The reviewed operational path is therefore not entirely European.

Review dependencies ↓

Element is an open source app for team communication built on the open Matrix protocol. Conversations are end to end encrypted, and because Matrix is decentralised, Element can talk to other Matrix servers and to people using entirely different Matrix clients.

Element is listed here as self-hosted and open source, so it is not necessarily European. It becomes a European alternative through where you run it: the code is open and you choose the server, which can sit on European infrastructure. It suits teams and communities that want federated chat under their own control.

Data and operations

Infrastructure and email path

Verified operational dependencies, shown separately from ownership and from the service's core data hosting.

Public website

Cloudflare

Non-European provider
Observed
A 104.20.39.237, 172.66.165.154 · AS13335

Why this matters

Public DNS routes website visits through Cloudflare. Visitor IP addresses and request metadata can reach this non-European provider; this does not identify the core service's data location.

Incoming business email

Google Workspace

Non-European provider
Observed
MX 1 aspmx.l.google.com · 5 alt1.aspmx.l.google.com · 5 alt2.aspmx.l.google.com · 10 alt3.aspmx.l.google.com · 10 alt4.aspmx.l.google.com

Why this matters

Published MX records route incoming business email through Google Workspace. Correspondent details and message content can therefore enter this non-European provider's systems; MX does not reveal the configured storage region.

Authorised outbound email

Google Workspace

Non-European provider
Observed
SPF _spf.google.com

Why this matters

This domain authorises Google Workspace to send email. If active, recipient details and message content can be processed by this non-European provider. SPF does not reveal its configured storage region.

Authorised outbound email

Amazon SES

US-controlled cloud
Observed
SPF amazonses.com

Why this matters

This domain authorises Amazon SES, infrastructure under US ultimate ownership, to send email. If active, recipient details and message content can be processed there. SPF does not prove active use, the selected AWS region, or use of the separately operated AWS European Sovereign Cloud.

Authorised outbound email

HubSpot

Non-European provider
Observed
SPF 24880693.spf08.hubspotemail.net

Why this matters

This domain authorises HubSpot to send email. If active, recipient details and message content can be processed by this non-European provider. SPF does not reveal its configured storage region.

Public DNS records identify visible providers and routes, not every backend location or private data-region setting.

Infrastructure checked:

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