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Element (Matrix)

Videokonferenzen · Vereinigtes Königreich
Gegründet 2017 · element.io

UK-headquartered open-source Matrix protocol commercialisation; powers Bundeswehr BwMessenger + French Tchap + NATO + UN.

Element (Matrix) bietet EU-Hosting in dem Vereinigten Königreich, doch ein US-Mutterkonzern oder Unterauftragsverarbeiter hinterlässt ein materielles CLOUD-Act-Risiko. Gelistet unter Videokonferenzen.

Bewertungsnotizen

Element Creations Limited (UK, formerly New Vector Ltd, founded 2017; renamed 2025) is the commercial entity behind the open-source Matrix decentralised messaging protocol created by Matthew Hodgson and Amandine Le Pape. Independent custody of the protocol sits with the Matrix.org Foundation (2018). The company holds ISO/IEC 27001:2022, Cyber Essentials Plus, and OpenChain ISO/IEC 5230, runs regional subsidiaries in Germany (Element Software GmbH) and France (Element Software SARL) for EU-customer contracting, and powers the German Bundeswehr's BwMessenger (Bundeswehr-wide secure messaging) and the French government's Tchap + Visio inside La Suite numérique. Other customers: NATO, UN, HM Government, US Space Force, US Marines, Swedish agencies. Open-source Matrix protocol + self-host as the default deployment pattern + multi-entity EU contracting: ISO 27001 certified, public DPA with disclosed sub-processors, open-source clients. The managed Element Cloud carries material CLOUD Act exposure: it runs on AWS (US hyperscaler) with US-incorporated sub-processors for CRM (HubSpot), analytics (PostHog) and comms (Twilio). Message content is E2EE, but account/operational data sits with US-jurisdiction processors, the same managed-vs-self-host duality as other sovereign messengers. Self-hosting on EU infrastructure removes the exposure entirely (effective_cloud_act_if_self_hosted: none), which is the procurement-default path for the Bundeswehr BwMessenger and French Tchap deployments.

Befund

CLOUD Act
Eigentümer
Unterauftragsverarbeiter
6 · 5 US

Geprüfte Signale

Jurisdiktion
  • EU-/Angemessenheits-Hosting: Ja
  • EU-/Angemessenheits-Betreiber: Ja
  • Keine US-CLOUD-Act-Exposition: Nein
Transparenz
  • Öffentlicher AVV: Ja
  • Unterauftragsverarbeiter offengelegt: Ja
  • Open-Source-Clients: Ja
  • Zertifizierung durch Dritte: Ja
CLOUD Act je nach Betrieb

Die Exposition hängt davon ab, wie Sie dieses Produkt betreiben.

Gehostetes SaaS (Standard)

Anbieterbetrieben: die unten genannten Unterauftragsverarbeiter gelten.

Selbst gehostet (Open Source)

Auf eigener EU-Infrastruktur betreiben: Sie kontrollieren Hosting und jeden Unterauftragsverarbeiter.

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Über Element (Matrix)

Element is the commercial entity behind the open-source Matrix decentralised messaging-and-collaboration protocol, a Slack / Microsoft Teams / WhatsApp / Signal alternative engineered specifically for digital sovereignty and federation. The protocol was created in 2014 by Matthew Hodgson (CEO/CTO) and Amandine Le Pape (COO) while they were working at Amdocs; the commercial entity New Vector Ltd was spun out in 2017, rebranded to Element in 2020, and renamed Element Creations Limited in 2025. The Matrix protocol itself is custodied by the independent Matrix.org Foundation (established 2018), separate from Element the company, which gives the protocol the same kind of structural independence that the Linux Foundation provides for Linux.

Element's procurement-grade positioning is unmatched in the EU-sovereignty conversation. The German Bundeswehr's BwMessenger (the official secure messenger used daily by the entirety of Germany's Armed Forces) is a fork of Element built by BWI GmbH (Bundeswehr's IT supplier) and Element together; BwMessenger is described in Bundeswehr / BWI communications as "the cornerstone of the Bundeswehr's communication infrastructure". The French government's Tchap and Visio (the chat and video-conferencing components of La Suite numérique, the French government workspace suite) are both built on Matrix. Other reference customers include NATO, UN, HM Government, US Space Force, US Marines, and Swedish agencies. Certifications: ISO/IEC 27001:2022, Cyber Essentials Plus, OpenChain ISO/IEC 5230 (open-source supply-chain compliance).

Deployment is sovereign-friendly by design. Element Server Suite is sold as software that customers run on their own infrastructure, including air-gapped deployments for defence and government use, and the Matrix protocol itself is fully open source (Apache 2.0). Element's regional structure includes Element Software GmbH (Germany) and Element Software SARL (France) for EU-customer contracting, alongside the UK parent (Element Creations Ltd) and a US subsidiary (Element Software Inc). Element Cloud is the managed SaaS option. Investors include Automattic, Notion, First Minute Capital, Status, Protocol Labs, and Metaplanet. Best fit: governments, defence ministries, regulated industries, and any organisation that wants federated cross-organisation communication on a sovereign-deployable open-source protocol. The UK post-Brexit jurisdiction (other ownership tier) is the only nuance for the strictest procurement criteria. The German + French subsidiaries are available for buyers who need an EU-incorporated counterparty.

Unterauftragsverarbeiter-Karte · 6

Quelle
  • Amazon Web Services (AWS) US
    Vereinigte Staaten

    Cloud infrastructure / hosting

  • HubSpot US
    Vereinigte Staaten

    CRM / customer management

  • PostHog US
    Vereinigte Staaten

    Product analytics

  • Stripe US
    Vereinigtes Königreich

    Payment processing (UK entity, US parent)

  • Twilio US
    Vereinigte Staaten

    Communications / SMS services

  • Zammad EU
    Deutschland

    Customer support / ticketing

Quelle: veröffentlichte Unterauftragsverarbeiter-Liste des Anbieters, gelesen am 26 Aug 2026.

5 von 6 Unterauftragsverarbeitern sind in US-Eigentum oder haben ihren Sitz in den USA. CLOUD-Act-Risiko anwendbar.

Rahmenwerke & Zertifizierungen

ISO/IEC 27001
Aktiv

Funktionsmatrix

Tabelle 2Funktionen von Element (Matrix)

Self-Hosting Ja
Bildschirmfreigabe Ja
Ende-zu-Ende-Verschlüsselung Ja
Browser-Beitritt (ohne App) Ja

Integration & Zugriff

REST API Ja
SSO (SAML / OIDC) Ja

Compliance & Governance

Audit log Ja
Self-host / on-prem option Ja

Preise & Tarife

Individuelle Preise

Kontaktieren Sie den Anbieter für Staffel- oder Mengenpreise.

Preisseite ansehen

Öffentliche Dokumente

  • Auftragsverarbeitungsvertrag (AVV)
    element.io/data-processing-agreement…
    Öffnen
  • Liste der Unterauftragsverarbeiter
    element.io/data-processing-agreement…
    Öffnen
  • Nutzungsbedingungen
    element.io/terms-of-use…
    Öffnen

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