Push Notifications and MastoBlaster
On iOS, push notifications must go through Apple’s servers. This is not something that can be bypassed, as it is part of the operating system’s architecture.
MastoBlaster, like other Fediverse apps, uses a design that maximizes user privacy.
When you log in to your instance, the app and the server exchange the necessary cryptographic keys. The app also communicates to the instance the address of the relay, which is the server responsible for forwarding notifications to Apple.
When a new notification is generated:
1. Your instance encrypts the notification.
2. It sends the encrypted payload to the relay.
3. The relay forwards it to Apple using its own authentication key.
4. Apple delivers it to your device.
The content of the notification is encrypted by your Fediverse server and can only be decrypted by your device.
The relay, which in the case of MastoBlaster is dedicated and hosted on a FreeBSD server, receives only encrypted data. It cannot read the content, does not know which account the notification belongs to, and does not store any information about the notification itself.
Apple knows which relay sent the notification and which device it must be delivered to, but it cannot access the content.
In short, only your instance and your device can read the notification.
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